Late Night Snacks: Hot-shooting Michigan State storms back to win at Iowa

By Jan 9, 2015, 1:16 AM EST
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The shots fell for Tom Izzo’s Spartans in the second half (AP Photo)

(This will be updated throughout the evening.)

GAME OF THE NIGHT: UCLA 86, Stanford 81 (2OT)

From an execution standpoint this wasn’t the smoothest of games, but it didn’t lack for entertainment. The Bruins ended their five-game losing streak despite trailing by as much as 14 in the second half, and front court players Kevon Looney and Tony Parker led the way. Looney amassed 27 points and 19 rebounds, with Parker adding 22 points and 12 boards. Chasson Randle scored 32 points for Stanford, which shot 15-for-31 from three, but their issues converting inside of the arc (11-for-40 on twos) kept the Cardinal from putting away a game they should have won.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

1. Michigan State 75, Iowa 61: After trailing 44-33 at the half the Spartans caught fire in the second stanza, shooting 66.7% from the field and making eight of their nine three-point attempts. Add in the fact that they took away much of what made the Hawkeyes successful in the first half, including limiting Gabriel Olaseni to five points after he scored 13 in the first, and the Spartans were able to outscore Iowa by 25 points in the second half. Travis Trice, who hit seven three-pointers, finished with a game-high 25 points and Denzel Valentine added 18.

2. No. 7 Arizona 80, Oregon 62: Point guard T.J. McConnell has done a good job of leading Arizona, but he’s tended to be a reluctant shooter for the Wildcats. That wasn’t the case Thursday night, as the senior scored 21 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists in Arizona’s first win at Matthew Knight Arena. All five starters scored in double figures for the Wildcats, who shot 24-for-30 from the foul line and limited Oregon’s Joseph Young to 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting. As a team the Ducks shot 4-for-20 from three, and their cold shooting cost them dearly against the 14-1 Wildcats.

3. Pepperdine 67, BYU 61: With Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s both undefeated in WCC play, BYU couldn’t afford to drop this one in Provo but they did. Stacy Davis scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench for the Waves, who are now 3-1 in conference play and sit a game behind the Bulldogs and Gaels in the loss column. As for BYU, Tyler Haws scored 26 and Anson Winder added 16, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the fact that Kyle Collinsworth (1-for-8 FG, four points, three rebounds and two assists) was under the weather and ineffective as a result.

STARRED

1. Jerome Hill and Tyrell Nelson, Gardner-Webb: Both players posted double-doubles in the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ 88-85 double overtime win over Radford, with Hill tallying 26 points and 11 rebounds and Nelson adding 22 and ten. Also, teammate Tyler Strange accounted for 16 points and 13 assists.

2. Kevon Looney and Tony Parker, UCLA: Looney (27 points, 19 rebounds) and Parker (22 and 12) led the way for the Bruins in their 86-81 double overtime win over Stanford. If the Bruins want to build on this win, they’ll look to spend even more time establishing these two offensively.

3. Travis Trice, Michigan State: Trice made seven of his eight three-point attempts, scoring 25 points in the Spartans’ 75-61 win at Iowa.

4. Mike Caffey, Long Beach State: 27 points on 9-for-12 shooting in the 49ers’ 88-82 win at UC Irvine.

STRUGGLED

1. Cheikh Sane and Aleksa Nikolic, Marshall: Starters Sane and Nikolic combined to shoot 0-for-9 from the field, going scoreless in the Thundering Herd’s 72-51 loss to No. 25 Old Dominion. Also of note: Marshall finished with more turnovers (22) than made field goals (17).

2. UTEP starters not named Vince Hunter: While Hunter scored 16 points (7-for-14 FG) and grabbed 11 rebounds, the other four starters shot a combined 8-for-29 from the field in their 58-45 loss to Louisiana Tech.

3. Aaron White, Iowa: The senior, who entered Thursday as Iowa’s leading scorer, accounted for eight points on 2-for-4 shooting in the Hawkeyes’ 75-61 loss to Michigan State.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25

  • Jonathan Arledge led three players in double figures with 13 points as No. 25 Old Dominion beat Marshall 72-51 to move to 13-1 on the season (2-0 Conference USA).
  • No. 6 Gonzaga rebounded from a slow start to take care of San Francisco, 88-57. Kevin Pangos accounted for 17 points and five assists, and freshman Silas Melson scored ten off the bench.

NOTABLES

  • Dayton simply keeps rolling along, beating St. Bonaventure 78-61 to move to 2-0 in Atlantic 10 play. Jordan Sibert led the way with 22 points, and 20 of the Flyers’ 29 field goals were assisted.
  • East Tennessee State moved to 4-1 in SoCon play with a 71-70 win over Mercer (3-1). Jalen Riley scored 22 off the bench for the Bucs.
  • Wofford remained in first place in the SoCon (3-0) with a 75-70 win over VMI, as Karl Cochran led four Terriers in double figures with 19 points.
  • St. Francis-Brooklyn moved to 3-0 in NEC play with a 78-69 win at Fairleigh Dickinson.
  • For an LSU team looking to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009, their 74-67 overtime loss at Missouri won’t help matters. Johnathan Williams III led Mizzou with 21 points and ten rebounds.
  • Cleveland State moved to 3-0 in Horizon League play with a 65-61 win over Oakland, with Andre Yates scoring 14 points and Charlie Lee adding 13 for the Vikings.
  • Louisiana Tech won 58-45 at UTEP, limiting the Miners to 37.3% shooting on the night.
  • Mikh McKinney’s basket with two seconds remaining gave Sacramento State a 63-61 win at North Dakota, and the Hornets are now 3-0 in Big Sky play.
  • Long Beach State scored 50 second-half points as they beat UC Irvine 88-82 on the road. These are two of the teams expected to contend in the Big West.
  • Leslee Smith (torn ACL) saw his first action of the season in Nebraska’s 65-49 win over Rutgers. Smith accounted for two rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in 13 minutes of action.

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

Associated PressJun 6, 2023, 9:55 PM EDT
marquette smart
Adam Cairns/USA TODAY NETWORK
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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
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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
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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.

Biden celebrates LSU women’s and UConn men’s basketball teams at separate White House events

Associated PressMay 26, 2023, 11:56 PM EDT
Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK
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WASHINGTON – All of the past drama and sore feelings associated with Louisiana State’s invitation to the White House were seemingly forgotten or set aside Friday as President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed the championship women’s basketball team to the mansion with smiles, hugs and lavish praise all around.

The visit had once appeared in jeopardy after Jill Biden suggested that the losing Iowa team be invited, too. But none of that was mentioned as both Bidens heralded the players for their performance and the way they have helped advance women’s sports.

“Folks, we witnessed history,” the president said. “In this team, we saw hope, we saw pride and we saw purpose. It matters.”

The ceremony was halted for about 10 minutes after forward Sa’Myah Smith appeared to collapse as she and her teammates stood behind Biden. A wheelchair was brought in and coach Kim Mulkey assured the audience that Smith was fine.

LSU said in a statement that Smith felt overheated, nauseous and thought she might faint. She was evaluated by LSU and White House medical staff and was later able to rejoin the team. “She is feeling well, in good spirits, and will undergo further evaluation once back in Baton Rouge,” the LSU statement said.

Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, Biden said, more than half of all college students are women, and there are now 10 times more female athletes in college and high school. He said most sports stories are still about men, and that that needs to change.

Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in federally funded education programs and activities.

“Folks, we need to support women sports, not just during the championship run but during the entire year,” President Biden said.

After the Tigers beat Iowa for the NCAA title in April in a game the first lady attended, she caused an uproar by suggesting that the Hawkeyes also come to the White House.

LSU star Angel Reese called the idea “A JOKE” and said she would prefer to visit with former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, instead. The LSU team largely is Black, while Iowa’s top player, Caitlin Clark, is white, as are most of her teammates.

Nothing came of Jill Biden’s idea and the White House only invited the Tigers. Reese ultimately said she would not skip the White House visit. She and co-captain Emily Ward presented team jerseys bearing the number “46” to Biden and the first lady. Hugs were exchanged.

Jill Biden also lavished praise on the team, saying the players showed “what it means to be a champion.”

“In this room, I see the absolute best of the best,” she said, adding that watching them play was “pure magic.”

“Every basket was pure joy and I kept thinking about how far women’s sports have come,” the first lady added, noting that she grew up before Title IX was passed. “We’ve made so much progress and we still have so much more work to do.”

The president added that “the way in which women’s sports has come along is just incredible. It’s really neat to see, since I’ve got four granddaughters.”

After Smith was helped to a wheelchair, Mulkey told the audience the player was OK.

“As you can see, we leave our mark where we go,” Mulkey joked. “Sa’Myah is fine. She’s kind of, right now, embarrassed.”

A few members of Congress and Biden aides past and present with Louisiana roots dropped what they were doing to attend the East Room event, including White House budget director Shalanda Young. Young is in the thick of negotiations with House Republicans to reach a deal by the middle of next week to stave off what would be a globally calamitous U.S. financial default if the U.S. can no longer borrow the money it needs to pay its bills.

The president, who wore a necktie in the shade of LSU’s purple, said Young, who grew up in Baton Rouge, told him, “I’m leaving the talks to be here.” Rep. Garret Graves, one of the House GOP negotiators, also attended.

Biden closed sports Friday by changing to a blue tie and welcoming the UConn’s men’s championship team for its own celebration. The Huskies won their fifth national title by defeating San Diego State, 76-59, in April.

“Congratulations to the whole UConn nation,” he said.

Marquette’s Prosper says he will stay in draft rather than returning to school

Associated PressMay 26, 2023, 7:08 PM EDT
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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MILWAUKEE — Olivier-Maxence Prosper announced he is keeping his name under NBA draft consideration rather than returning to Marquette.

The 6-foot-8 forward announced his decision.

“Thank you Marquette nation, my coaches, my teammates and support staff for embracing me from day one,” Prosper said in an Instagram post. “My time at Marquette has been incredible. With that being said, I will remain in the 2023 NBA Draft. I’m excited for what comes next. On to the next chapter…”

Prosper had announced last month he was entering the draft. He still could have returned to school and maintained his college eligibility by withdrawing from the draft by May 31. Prosper’s announcement indicates he instead is going ahead with his plans to turn pro.

Prosper averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds last season while helping Marquette go 29-7 and win the Big East’s regular-season and tournament titles. Marquette’s season ended with a 69-60 loss to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32.

He played two seasons at Marquette after transferring from Clemson, where he spent one season.