Pregame Shootaround: No. 2 Duke, No. 11 Notre Dame meet for third time, No. 1 Kentucky makes SEC tournament debut

By Raphielle JohnsonMar 13, 2015, 11:01 AM EDT

GAME OF THE DAY: No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Duke, 9:30 p.m. (ACC Network/ESPN)

These two teams have met twice this season, and the games could not have been any more different. Notre Dame won the first meeting, with Jerian Grant taking control of the game down the stretch in South Bend. The Blue Devils took the rematch in dominant fashion, winning by 30 at Cameron. Jahlil Okafor scored 20 points and grabbed ten rebounds and Justise Winslow contributed 19 and 11 in that win, and the Blue Devils limited the Fighting Irish to 39.7 percent shooting. A win for Notre Dame can give them a boost when it comes to NCAA tournament seeding, and in order to do so they’ll need to do a better job defensively than they did in the second meeting (Duke shot nearly 61 percent).

THIS ONE’S GOOD TOO: No. 15 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Iowa State, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

The Sooners and Cyclones have played two highly entertaining games this season, with the home team taking both contests. Of course the second meeting featured a wild comeback, as Iowa State trailed by as much as 21 before coming back to win 77-70. The key for Fred Hoiberg’s team is to keep the offensive flow that can make them so difficult to defend. That was an issue for most of the first half against Texas, and it was also a problem in the comeback win noted above. As for Oklahoma, Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield and fellow guard Isaiah Cousins can attack the Iowa State defense from the perimeter, but they’re going to need more from TaShawn Thomas than the six points he scored in Ames.

WHO’S ON UPSET ALERT?: No. 3 Virginia (vs. No. 19 North Carolina, 7:00 p.m. ACC Network/ESPN)

Virginia won the lone regular season meeting between the two, beating the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill back in early February thanks to a balanced offensive attack and some solid defense in the second half. The Cavaliers were able to prevent North Carolina from getting out in transition, and that will likely be the case tonight. While it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect UNC to match Virginia stop for stop, they’ve held each of their two ACC tournament opponents below 40 percent shooting. A similar effort against the Cavaliers will give the Tar Heels a shot at the win.

SIX THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

1. There are some bubble teams in search of another big win to add to their resume and one of them is UCLA, which takes on No. 5 Arizona (9:00 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) at the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas. The question for the Bruins is whether or not Kevon Looney, who left yesterday’s win over USC with a facial injury, can go. Shot selection will also be key for UCLA, and they’ll have a tougher time finding quality looks than they did against the Trojans.

2. No. 1 Kentucky takes the floor for the first time at this year’s SEC tournament, and they’ll take on Florida in Nashville (1:00 p.m., SEC Network). John Calipari’s Wildcats are three wins away from duplicating Florida’s feat of a season ago, running the table in the SEC regular season and conference tournament.

3. Also making its conference tournament debut is No. 6 Wisconsin, and the Badgers will face a Michigan (Noon, ESPN) team brimming with confidence following their whipping of Illinois. Zak Irvin scored 14 points and dished out six assists, and freshmen Aubrey Dawkins and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman combined for 33 points against the Fighting Illini.

4. An NCAA tournament bid will be decided tonight, and it won’t even occur in a tournament final. Texas Southern takes on Prairie View A&M (9:30 p.m.) in a SWAC semifinal, and the winner gets the automatic bid. Why? The other semifinal matchup pits two teams ineligible for postseason play in Southern and Alabama State.

5. No. 9 Kansas looks to pick up its first-ever Big 12 tournament win over No. 16 Baylor (7:00 p.m., ESPN2), as the Bears have won both prior meetings. Kansas won both regular season meetings but that was with Perry Ellis on the floor; his status for tonight’s game has yet to be determined. Whether or not Ellis plays, the Jayhawks will need to keep Rico Gathers Sr. and his teammates off the offensive glass.

6. No. 4 Villanova looks to keep rolling after their decisive win over Marquette, as they take on Providence in the Big East semis. The Friars, after a slow start, rolled past St. John’s on Thursday and a win over the Wildcats would help improve their NCAA tournament seeding. And the two players picked for Big East Co-Player of the Year, Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono and Providence’s Kris Dunn, will be on the court along with two others (Nova’s Darrun Hilliard and Providence’s LaDontae Henton) who had solid arguments themselves.

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

ACC Semis: No. 19 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Virginia, No. 11 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Duke

American Quarters: No. 20 SMU vs. East Carolina, Temple vs. Memphis, Tulsa vs. Houston, Cincinnati vs. UConn

Atlantic 10 Quarters (on NBCSN): No. 24 Davidson vs. La Salle, Richmond vs. VCU, Dayton vs. St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island vs. George Washington

Big 12 Semis: No. 9 Kansas vs. No. 16 Baylor, No. 13 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Oklahoma

Big East Semis: No. 4 Villanova vs. Providence, Georgetown vs. Xavier

Big Sky Semis: Eastern Washington vs. Sacramento State, Northern Arizona at Montana

Big Ten Quarters: No. 6 Wisconsin vs. Michigan, Purdue vs. Penn State, No. 8 Maryland vs. Indiana, Michigan State vs. Ohio State

Big West Semis: UC Davis vs. Hawaii, UCSB vs. UC Irvine

Conference USA Semis: UTEP vs. Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech vs. UAB

MEAC Semis: North Carolina Central vs. Delaware State, Norfolk State vs. Hampton

MAC Semis: Central Michigan vs. Toledo, Buffalo vs. Akron

Mountain West Semis: No. 25 Boise State vs. Wyoming, San Diego State vs. Colorado State

Pac-12 Semis: No. 5 Arizona vs. UCLA, No. 17 Utah vs. Oregon

SEC Quarters: No. 1 Kentucky vs. Florida, LSU vs. Auburn, No. 21 Arkansas vs. Tennessee, Georgia vs. South Carolina

Southland Semis: Stephen F. Austin vs. Northwestern State, Sam Houston State vs. Texas A&M Corpus-Christi

Sun Belt Quarters: Louisiana vs. Texas State, ULM vs. South Alabama

SWAC Semis: Alabama State vs. Southern, Texas Southern vs. Prairie View A&M

WAC Semis: New Mexico State vs. Bakersfield, Kansas City vs. Seattle

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.

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

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

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.

Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr. returning for last season of eligibility

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:18 PM EDT

Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports

Kevin McCullar Jr. said that he will return to Kansas for his final year of eligibility, likely rounding out a roster that could make the Jayhawks the preseason No. 1 next season.

McCullar transferred from Texas Tech to Kansas for last season, when he started 33 of 34 games and averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. He was also among the nation’s leaders in steals, and along with being selected to the Big 12’s all-defensive team, the 6-foot-6 forward was a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.

“To be able to play in front of the best fans in the country; to play for the best coach in the nation, I truly believe we have the pieces to hang another banner in the Phog,” McCullar said in announcing his return.

Along with McCullar, the Jayhawks return starters Dajuan Harris Jr. and K.J. Adams from a team that went 28–8, won the Big 12 regular-season title and was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Arkansas in the second round.

Perhaps more importantly, the Jayhawks landed Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, widely considered the best player in the portal, to anchor a lineup that was missing a true big man. They also grabbed former five-star prospect Arterio Morris, who left Texas, and Towson’s Nick Timberlake, who emerged last season as one of the best 3-point shooters in the country.

The Jayhawks also have an elite recruiting class arriving that is headlined by five-star recruit Elmarko Jackson.

McCullar declared for the draft but, after getting feedback from scouts, decided to return. He was a redshirt senior last season, but he has another year of eligibility because part of his career was played during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a big day for Kansas basketball,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “Kevin is not only a terrific player but a terrific teammate. He fit in so well in year one and we’re excited about what he’ll do with our program from a leadership standpoint.”