Late Night Snacks: No. 2 Virginia survives, banged-up No. 20 VCU falls in double overtime

By Raphielle JohnsonFeb 11, 2015, 10:32 PM EST

GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 19 Maryland 68, Indiana 66

Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell had chances to both win and tie the game in the final seconds, but both shots missed the mark as Maryland moved to 15-1 at home this season. Ferrell led all scorers with 23 points but freshmen James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson struggled offensively, combining to score 13 points on 5-for-27 shooting. Dez Wells and Melo Trimble scored 18 apiece for Maryland, which also received 14 points and seven rebounds from Jake Layman. The Terrapins are now tied for second in the Big Ten with No. 23 Ohio State.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

1. La Salle 74, No. 20 VCU 69 (2OT)

Shaka Smart has himself a banged-up team, with Briante Weber done for the season with a torn ACL and Treveon Graham dealing with an ankle injury. Graham didn’t play Wednesday night, and VCU missed his scoring ability in a five-point double overtime loss to the Explorers in Richmond. VCU shot 30.1% from the field and 3-for-23 from beyond the arc, and they struggled to take advantage of La Salle turnovers (13 points off of 17 La Salle turnovers) and second-chance opportunities (17 offensive rebounds, five second-chance points) as well.

Jordan Price was sensational for La Salle, as he finished with 34 points and 18 rebounds. As a result of the loss, VCU drops into a four-way tie for first in the Atlantic 10.

2. No. 2 Virginia 51, NC State 47

In their first game without the injured Justin Anderson, Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers held off the Wolfpack in Raleigh. Malcolm Brogdon scored 15 points and Mike Tobey added 11 for the Cavaliers, who are now 22-1 on the season. Trevor Lacey, who missed a layup late that would have tied the game at 47, led the Woldpack with 14 points and Anthony Barber added 11. NC State missed out on what would have been an incredibly valuable win for their NCAA tournament resume.

3. St. John’s 86, DePaul 78

With Seton Hall going through tumultuous times, there could be room for the Red Storm to climb back into the NCAA tournament conversation. For that to be the case, Steve Lavin’s team has to win games they’re expected to win. St. John’s did that Wednesday night, taking care of the Blue Demons in Queens. D’Angelo Harrison snapped out of his slump, scoring 33 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field and grabbing ten rebounds. Four of their five starters scored in double figures, with Felix Balamou replacing the injured Chris Obekpa (ankle) in the starting lineup. The next two games are critical for the Red Storm if they’re to make a run at an NCAA bid: at Xavier on Saturday, and at Georgetown next Tuesday.

STARRED

1. Jordan Price, La Salle

34 points and 18 rebounds in a 74-69 double overtime win at No. 20 VCU.

2. Montrezl Harrell, Louisville

Harrell scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Cardinals’ 69-56 win over Pittsburgh.

STRUGGLED

1. Corey Allen Jr., USF

Allen scored 15 points, but he did so on 6-for-21 shooting in the Bulls’ 73-62 loss at UCF.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25

Brandon Watkins scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench as No. 21 West Virginia beat Kansas State 76-72. The Mountaineers ended a two-game skid with the win.
Montrezl Harrell (28 points, 12 rebounds) and Terry Rozier (22 and ten) both posted double-doubles as No. 9 Louisville beat Pittsburgh 69-56.
Sam Thompson scored 22 points to help lead No. 23 Ohio State to a 75-55 win over Penn State.
Both ranked Missouri Valley teams took care of business at home, with No. 13 Northern Iowa beating Illinois State 83-64 and No. 15 Wichita State handling Indiana State 74-57. Both teams are now 12-1 in conference play.
Ryan Arcidiacono scored 20 points and Daniel Ochefu, who didn’t start the game for disciplinary reasons, added 19 and nine rebounds as No. 6 Villanova won 74-68 at Providence.

NOTABLES

This was a rough night for Atlantic 10 teams in the hunt for an at-large bid, as both George Washington (78-62 at Duquesne) and Rhode Island (65-64 at Saint Joseph’s) lost on the road. URI is now tied with VCU, Dayton and UMass atop the conference standings.
Rick Barnes picked up his 600th career win as Texas beat TCU 66-43 in Austin. Cameron Ridley went for 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Greg Mays led four starters in double figures as Green Bay won 63-62 at Youngstown State. A Keifer Sykes shot with 25 seconds remaining proved to be the difference.
Joining GW and URI as teams who took road losses that won’t help their NCAA tournament hopes was Miami, which lost 72-70 at Wake Forest. Kostantinos Mitoglou led the Demon Deacons with 21 points and eight rebounds.
The Big South race has begun to (somewhat) sort itself out the last couple days after ending the weekend with seven teams tied for first place. Wednesday night, High Point, Radford and Charleston Southern moved to 9-4 with wins over Winthrop, Longwood and Coastal Carolina, respectively. The three winners join UNC Asheville atop the league standings.
Georgia picked up a solid road win, winning 62-53 at Texas A&M with Kenny Gaines scoring 15 points and Charles Mann adding 14, six rebounds and four assists.
Boise State won its eighth straight, beating Air Force 67-42. James Webb III scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the win.
After Arizona and Utah there are some questions to answer re: who else from the Pac-12 will get to the NCAA tournament. Oregon avoided what would have been a bad loss Wednesday night, winning 80-75 at USC.
Josh Richardson accounted for 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists at Tennessee won 76-73 in overtime at Vanderbilt.
After Wyoming’s last two defeats, there should be no doubt that the injured Larry Nance Jr. (mononucleosis) is the most valuable player in the Mountain West. After getting blown out by Air Force Saturday, the Cowboys lost 67-41 at San Diego State. The Aztecs (9-3) are now in sole possession of first, with 8-3 Boise State on their heels.

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.