SATURDAY’S SNACKS: Virginia, Iowa State lose to unranked teams; Melo’s 3 buries Wisconsin

By Scott PhillipsJan 9, 2016, 11:59 PM EST

(AP Photo/David Goldman)

GAME OF THE DAY: USC 103, No. 7 Arizona 101 (4OT)

The preseason favorites to win the Pac-12 were swept in Los Angeles, with the two losses coming by a total of five points. Saturday night Arizona lost on two Elijah Stewart free throws with 22.3 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime, capping a wild back and forth affair and a huge victory for Andy Enfield’s growing program.

USC’s now 3-1 in the Pac-12 (and should be 4-0), so could “next year” be now for the young Trojans? Arizona dropped to 1-2 in the Pac-12 with the loss.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

No. 3 Maryland 63, Wisconsin 60: Melo Trimble’s magical 3-pointer from deeeeep lifted the Terps past the Badgers for a Big Ten road win. CBT’s Raphielle Johnson recaps why the sensational sophomore is so important to Maryland (and you also need to see the video of Trimble’s ridiculous game-winner).

Georgia Tech 68, No. 4 Virginia 64: Virginia lost to an unranked opponent for the second time this week as a second-half cold spell really hurt them in this one. Raphielle Johnson has more on Virginia’s offensive woes and what their next stretch looks like.

Baylor 94, No. 13 Iowa State 89: This is only Iowa State’s second loss at Hilton Coliseum over its last 32 home games and both came to Baylor in the last two seasons. The Bears made a tremendous second-half adjustment to rally in this one and I have more on that adjustment here.

Florida 68, LSU 62: Just when you believe LSU might be starting to figure things out, they go and suffer a bad road loss at Florida. Tigers freshman forward Ben Simmons put up another gaudy stat line (28 points, 17 rebounds) but had eight turnovers — all in the second half — as he tried to do too much with his teammates doing so little. In a game in which Florida went 3-for-18 from 3-point range and shot 17-for-30 from the free-throw line, this is a game that LSU needed to win. Credit Florida for only turning the ball over six times and having a good gameplan on the rest of LSU’s roster as nobody outside of Simmons did much of anything.

STARRED

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma: A prime candidate for Player of the Year, Hield went for 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in an Oklahoma win over Kansas State. The senior also shot 11-for-14 from the floor and 6-for-8 from 3-point range. If there was a negative, he did have six turnovers, but overall another great game for Hield.

Agunwa Okolie, Harvard: The senior exploded for a season-high 29 points in a win over Dartmouth has the 6-foot-8 Okolie was 9-for-11 from the field and 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. To put Okolie’s outburst into perspective, his previous season high was 16 and during one six-game stretch this season, Okolie played 170 minutes and scored only 28 points over that span.

Jonathan Motley, Baylor: After struggling a bit over his last few games, the sophomore exploded for 27 points on 13-for-15 shooting while also grabbing 13 rebounds. Motley’s play off the bench was a huge reason why Baylor was able to rally in the second half to beat No. 13 Iowa State.

Andrew Andrews, Washington: The senior guard wasn’t going to lose a rivalry game to Washington State as he went for 29 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 41 minutes of play in an overtime win.

Andrew White, Nebraska: Sticking with another Andrew, the Nebraska version went for 28 points, nine rebounds and two assists on 11-for-14 shooting from the field in a win over Rutgers.

STRUGGLED

Tim Quarterman and Craig Victor of LSU: These guys just didn’t show up to play in LSU’s road loss to Florida.

Quarterman and Victor in Tuesday night’s LSU win over Kentucky: 36 points, 22 rebounds, eight assists.

Quarterman and Victor in Saturday afternoon’s LSU loss to Florida: nine points, 12 rebounds, three assists.

Auburn’s Kareem Canty: Missouri did a good job defensively on Canty in their 76-61 win, limiting him to nine points on 2-f0r-9 shooting from the field.

Bradley: For the second straight game the Braves produced more turnovers than made field goals. Bradley turned the ball over 18 times in a 65-37 loss at Evansville, shooting 12-for-46 from the field.

OTHER TOP 25 RESULTS

No. 1 Kansas visited Texas Tech and found itself in a dogfight for much of the night. But Wayne Selden Jr. hit a key three-pointer as the Jayhawks pulled away for the 69-59 win. Frank Mason III (17 points, ten rebounds) and Perry Ellis (15 and ten) posted double-doubles for the Jayhawks.
It was another big outing for senior Player of the Year candidate Buddy Hield, as he went for 31 points as No. 2 Oklahoma beat Kansas State.
Jim Boeheim made his return to the sidelines for Syracuse, but the emotional boost wasn’t enough as No. 6 North Carolina won by the final score of 84-73. Isaiah Hicks scored 21 and Brice Johnson racked up eight assists, doing most of his damage in the high post against the Syracuse zone.
No. 9 Kentucky rebounded from its loss at LSU with a 77-61 win at Alabama. Alex Poythress scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the way, with Jamal Murray adding 21 points.
Sheldon McClellan had 21 points and five rebounds as No. 12 Miami won at home over Florida State in the ACC. The Hurricanes overcame an off-day from Angel Rodriguez in the win as their defense held the Seminoles to 35 percent shooting.
No. 14 Duke cruised to an easy ACC home win over Virginia Tech as Marshall Plumlee had a career-high 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Freshman Brandon Ingram had 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks while Grayson Allen also chipped in 16 and had this dunk.
Playing their first home game since before Christmas, No. 17 West Virginia rolled over Oklahoma State as Jevon Carter had 16 points and five assists.
No. 21 Texas A&M had a furious comeback to beat Tennessee on the road. Trailing nearly the entire game, the Aggies were down 10 with just over four minutes left before an 18-4 run at the end of the game gave them a victory. Jalen Jones had 27 points while Danuel House added 23 points for Texas A&M.
Staying unbeaten was No. 22 South Carolina as they won their biggest test of the season with a home win over Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks moved to 15-0 as Sindarius Thornwell had 19 points and eight rebounds.
Sterling Gibbs scored 26 points as No. 23 UConn held off Memphis 81-78. Shaq Goodwin led the Tigers with 23 points before fouling out.
No. 24 Pitt picked up one of its best wins of the season by beating Notre Dame on the road for an ACC win. Michael Young led the Panthers with 25 points while Jamel Artis had 19 points and Sheldon Jeter had 18 points.
Also suffering an upset to an unranked opponent was No. 25 Dayton. The Flyers had a surprising loss to a depleted La Salle team that was only running with six players. Raphielle Johnson has more on this one.

NOTABLE RESULTS

Georgetown swept its Big East season series over DePaul with a home win. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and L.J. Peak both scored 17 points in the win for the Hoyas.
UCLA picked up a Pac-12 win over Arizona State as Isaac Hamilton had 26 points and Thomas Welsh went for 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Creighton earned a solid Big East road win at Seton Hall as Geoffrey Groselle went for 20 points and Mo Watson Jr. had 13 points and 14 assists.
Marquette picked up a win over St. John’s as Luke Fischer had 18 points and Henry Ellenson contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Northwestern was a winner in the Big Ten on the road at Minnesota as freshman Aaron Falzon had 20 points.
Arkansas defeated Mississippi State as Dusty Hannahs went for eight 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 26 points.
Wichita State blew out a 14-win Southern Illinois team on the road as Ron Baker had 18 points and Conner Frankamp chipped in 14 points off the bench.
St. Bonaventure continued its best start in 16 years with an Atlantic 10 road win at UMass. Sophomore Jaylen Adams continued his tremendous season with 24 points, eight assists and only one turnover.
UAB improved to 13-3 overall and 3-0 in Conference USA with a win over UTEP. William Lee had 18 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in the win for the Blazers.
Nevada earned a road win at Air Force as Tyron Criswell led with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Indiana State defeated Illinois State in a matchup of strong Missouri Valley teams as Brenton Scott had 25 points.
Senior Frank Eaves dropped his third 30-point game of the season with a 30-point game in an Appalachian State win over Texas State.
An upset in the WCC as Pepperdine upset St. Mary’s as forward Jett Raines went for 24 points and eight rebounds. As far as I can tell, Drake did not attend, after he was at Pepperdine’s Thursday home win.
The 1976 Final Four team was honored prior to Rutgers’ game against Nebraska…which the Scarlet Knights lost 90-56. Tim Miles’ team scored 52 points in the paint in the win.
Rivals Washington and Washington State needed an extra five minutes to determine a winner, with the Huskies winning 99-95 in Pullman. Andrew Andrews went for 29 points and ten rebounds for the Huskies, who are now 3-0 in the Pac-12.
NJIT played its first conference game as a member of the Atlantic Sun, but the day didn’t end on a good note as Michael Buchanan’s tip-in with four tenths of a second remaining gave USC Upstate an 80-78 victory.
Iona remained undefeated in the MAAC with a 90-80 win over Marist. A.J. English finished with 24 points and eight assists and Dayshonee Much added 21 and six rebounds for the Gaels.
Princeton beat rival Penn 73-71 in the Ivy League opener for both. Amir Bell led the Tigers with 28 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field.
A Chris Washburn blocked shot in the final seconds preserved a 58-57 win for TCU over Texas. Washburn scored 14 points and Brandon Parrish 15 for the Horned Frogs.
Stefan Moody’s layup with five seconds remaining capped a wild sequence for Ole Miss, which beat Georgia 72-71 in Oxford. The Rebels are now 2-0 in their new arena.
Montana and Weber State remain undefeated in Big Sky play with comfortable home victories. The Grizzles took care of Sacramento State by 19, while the Wildcats beat Northern Colorado by 17. The top two teams in the conference, they won’t meet until February 27 in Ogden.
BYU surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time this season in a 102-92 win over San Francisco. Chase Fischer led three Cougars with 20 points or more with 25.
Grand Canyon moved to 15-2 with a 79-75 win over New Mexico State. Dan Majerle’s Antelopes won’t be able to go to the NCAA tournament until 2017 (Division I transition rules), but that doesn’t mean they can’t win the WAC regular season title.
Kyle Wiltjer scored 32 points and Domantas Saboins added 28 and 17 boards as Gonzaga beat Portland 85-74.
Arizona wasn’t the only Pac-12 team to get swept on the road this week. California went 0-2 in Oregon, as they lost 77-71 at Oregon State. Gary Payton II finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
UC Irvine moved to 2-0 in the Big West with an 84-68 win over UC Riverside. Luke Nelson snapped out of his shooting slump with a 29-point night for the Anteaters.

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.”

Clemson leading scorer Hall withdraws from NBA draft, returns to Tigers

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:15 PM EDT

Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson leading scorer PJ Hall is returning to college after withdrawing from the NBA draft on Thursday.

The 6-foot-10 forward took part in the NBA combine and posted his decision to put off the pros on social media.

Hall led the Tigers with 15.3 points per game this past season. He also led the Tigers with 37 blocks, along with 5.7 rebounds. Hall helped Clemson finish third in the Atlantic Coast Conference while posting a program-record 14 league wins.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell said Hall gained experience from going through the NBA’s combine that will help the team next season. “I’m counting on him and others to help lead a very talented group,” he said.

Hall was named to the all-ACC third team last season as the Tigers went 23-10.

George Washington adopts new name ‘Revolutionaries’ to replace ‘Colonials’

Associated PressMay 24, 2023, 7:12 PM EDT

Getty Images

WASHINGTON — George Washington University’s sports teams will now be known as the Revolutionaries, the school announced.

Revolutionaries replaces Colonials, which had been GW’s name since 1926. Officials made the decision last year to drop the old name after determining it no longer unified the community.

GW said 8,000 different names were suggested and 47,000 points of feedback made during the 12-month process. Revolutionaries won out over the other final choices of Ambassadors, Blue Fog and Sentinels.

“I am very grateful for the active engagement of our community throughout the development of the new moniker,” president Mark S. Wrighton said. “This process was truly driven by our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and the result is a moniker that broadly reflects our community – and our distinguished and distinguishable GW spirit.”

George the mascot will stay and a new logo developed soon for the Revolutionaries name that takes effect for the 2023-24 school year. The university is part of the Atlantic 10 Conference.