PREGAME SHOOTAROUND: Great Saturday slate with tons of good games

By Scott PhillipsDec 19, 2015, 8:00 AM EST

Associated Press

GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 12 Villanova at No. 8 Virginia, 12:00 p.m.

From Rob Dauster’s Weekend Preview. Rob will be in attendance at this one. Be sure to follow him @RobDauster.

We’ve reached something of a crossroads with this Villanova team. In the last two seasons, they’ve won 32 regular season Big East games, storming through the conference for back-to-back league titles. But in neither of those years have they found a way to play themselves out of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. All of the numbers tell us that this team, this program, is one of the best in the country … except for when they are asked to play elite competition. Fair or not, with Villanova, it always feels like this is a team that fails to perform when the lights shine the brightest, and that was once again on display last week, when they flew out to Hawaii and got run out of the gym by Oklahoma.

That said, this Villanova team is, in theory, one that should be able to give Virginia some problems. They have big men that can pass, they can spread the floor and they have shooters up and down their lineup, although part of the reason for their early season struggles has been the inability to consistently his threes this season. On the other hand, Virginia still has just one loss on the season, they were dominant in the win over West Virginia at the Garden last week and their only loss — at No. 22 George Washington — doesn’t look all that bad. Another impressive win over a top 20 team will certainly be a statement.

THIS ONE’S GOOD TOO: No. 17 Butler vs. No. 9 Purdue, 5:00 p.m.

We knew the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Like Fieldhouse was going to be a fun event, but back when the season began, it seemed like the matchup between Indiana and Notre Dame was going to be the highlight of the double-header. Yogi Ferrell vs. Demetrius Jackson! An ACC power vs. a Big Ten power! And while there’s an argument to be made that it is still the more important of the two games — both the Hoosiers and the Irish desperately need this win — the nightcap has clearly become the better basketball game.

Butler’s reputation over the years has been as a grind-it-out, tough, physical defensive team. Not this year. They run, they score a ton of points and they’re the sixth-most efficient offense in the country, according to KenPom. Purdue, on the other hand, is the nation’s best defensive team with the biggest front line. Butler’s strength is in their back court. There’s a lot going on here, but the bottom line is that it is must-see TV either way.

WHO’S GETTING UPSET: Northern Iowa vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 7:00 p.m. (Des Moines)

As good as Iowa State has looked at times this season, and as talented as their starting five is, there are still people — myself included — who are doubting whether or not this is a team that can truly compete at the top of the Big 12 and for a national title. The concern is, mainly, depth, particularly behind Jameel McKay. Ben Jacobsen’s Northern Iowa team has already notched a win over North Carolina this season. Will they be able to hang another upset over a top five team?

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

1. Bankers Life Fieldhouse won’t be the only NBA arena hosting a really good double-header this weekend, as the CBS Sports Classic will take place in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The opener is the more intriguing matchup, as No. 11 North Carolina squares off with No. 22 UCLA at 1:00 p.m. The game is made all the more interesting by the fact that Kennedy Meeks will not be playing, opening up the door for Tony Parker to be able to out-muscle Isaiah Hicks. There’s a real chance, based on the way that UCLA has been playing of late, that the Tar Heels will suffer their third loss of the season. The second game of the two will pit No. 4 Kentucky vs. Ohio State, a game the Wildcats should not have trouble with.

2. It’s going to be a big day in New York for college hoops, as Utah will square off with No. 7 Duke at noon at the Garden. There is going to be a lot to keep an eye on here. For starters, this will be the first game against high level competition in which Duke will not have the services of Amile Jefferson, who broke a bone in his foot. Will Marshall Plumlee and Chase Jeter be enough to slow down Jakob Poeltl? The other part of it is that the Utes like to play four-around-one like Duke does, meaning they won’t be able to take advantage of Duke’s lack of a true power forward in the paint. But since they also don’t have a pure point guard, it is going to be interesting to see how they fare against the pressuring, half court man-to-man defense that Duke throws at teams.

3. UNLV had looked like they had shaken off all the issues they’ve had with execution and under-performing in recent years … until they hosted Arizona State on Wednesday night. The Rebels blew a 14-point second half lead and ended up losing 65-55 to the Sun Devils. Now they have to travel down to Tucson to take on No. 13 Arizona, a team that has been surging of late. We’ll really find out what UNLV is made of this weekend.

4. Perhaps the most interesting game of the day will be featured on NBCSN in a 12:30 p.m. ET tip as Michigan State, the No. 1 team in the country, will head up to Beantown to take on Northeastern in a true road game. How often does that happen? The game is part of another cool event that Spartan AD Mark Hollis dreamed up, as Michigan State will be playing a triple-header in men’s hoops, women’s hoops and hockey against the Huskies.

CLICK HERE to watch this game on NBC Sports Live Extra Saturday afternoon.

5. Not many people are going to be talking about this one — that’s what happens when games are played in Texas during football season — but No. 16 Baylor will make the trip to take on No. 24 Texas A&M. The Aggies have the size up front to handle Baylor’s bulk, but the Bears have enough talented perimeter defenders to deal with A&M’s quality guard play. The title of Best In Texas is on the line.

OTHER TOP 25 GAMES

Montana at No. 2 Kansas, 2:00 p.m.
Creighton at No. 3 Oklahoma, 2:00 p.m.
Princeton vs No. 6 Maryland, 7:00 p.m.
Auburn at No. 10 Xavier, 12:00 p.m.
Rider at No. 14 Providence, 8:00 p.m.
Charleston at No. 15 Miami, 2:00 p.m.
Wester Kentucky at No. 19 Louisville, 12:00 p.m.
Saint Peter’s at No. 21 George Washington, 1:00 p.m.
No. 23 Cincinnati at VCU, 4:00 p.m.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES

Georgia at Georgia Tech, 12:00 p.m.
Wichita State at Seton Hall, 12:00 p.m.
Cornell at Syracuse, 12:00 p.m.
UNC Asheville at Georgetown, 12:00 p.m.
Notre Dame vs. Indiana, 2:00 p.m.
Northwestern at DePaul, 2:00 p.m.
Oral Roberts at LSU, 2:00 p.m.
Houston Baptist at Arizona State, 2:30 p.m.
South Dakota at Illinois, 3:00 p.m.
Colorado State at Kansas State, 4:00 p.m.
Tulane at Mississippi State, 4:00 p.m.
Drake vs. Iowa, 4:30 p.m.
Oakland at Washington, 4:30 p.m.
Florida Atlantic at Florida State, 5:00 p.m.
N.C. State at Missouri, 6:00 p.m.
Youngstown State at Michigan, 6:00 p.m.
Penn State vs. Drexel, 7:00 p.m.
UAB at South Florida, 7:00 p.m.
Coppin State at Cal, 7:00 p.m.
Iona at Rhode Island, 7:00 p.m.
Oklahoma State at Florida, 8:00 p.m.
Mercer vs Arkansas, 8:00 p.m.
Hampton at Colorado, 9:00 p.m.
Tulsa at Oregon State, 11:00 p.m.
Tennessee vs Gonzaga, 11:00 p.m.
Texas at Stanford, 11:30 p.m.

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.”