WEEKLY AWARDS: USC’s race towards relevancy, while Brice Johnson leads UNC again

By Rob DausterJan 11, 2016, 9:02 AM EST

(AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brice Johnson, North Carolina

Twice this week Johnson was the best player on the floor as the Tar Heels went on the road to knock off a pair of potential NCAA tournament teams in Florida State and Syracuse. Against the Seminoles, he put together one of the most dominant performances that we’ve seen in college basketball in a long time: 39 points, 23 boards, three steals and three blocks while shooting 14-for-16 from the floor in a 106-90 win. He controlled the paint defensively, he dominated the offensive glass and he finished every dump down or lob he received.

Against Syracuse, his impact was different. He had just 16 points and four boards, but his eight assists were absolutely eviscerated the Orange zone, setting up Isaiah Hicks for his 21-point outburst. The Tar Heels needed all of those assists as well, as they won by 11 but trailed 56-50 late in the second half.

And while I get that your thinking may be, ‘It’s Florida State and Syracuse. Yawn!’ remember that Virginia, who entered this week ranked one spot ahead of North Carolina in the AP Poll, also went on the road twice this week, losing to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, neither of whom looked destined to even be in the bubble conversation before landing that win.

Winning on the road in league play is never an easy thing to do, and Johnson made sure that the Tar Heels picked up a pair of those wins this week.

THE ‘ALL THEY WERE GOOD, TOO’ TEAM

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma: Hield could have easily been the Player of the Week. He had 31 points, eight boards, five assists, two steals and two blocks in a win over Kansas State on Saturday which followed his 46 points, eight board and seven assist performance in the triple-overtime loss to No. 1 Kansas. We went with Johnson because UNC went 2-0 this week.
Bryce Alford, UCLA: Alford averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 boards in a pair of wins this week. That included 25 points, six assists, four boards, no turnovers and the game-winning three-pointer in a win over Arizona at Pauley Pavilion, all of which happened in front of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Josh Hart, Villanova: Hart posted a pair of double-doubles this week, capped by a 22-point, 11-board performance in Villanova’s win at Butler on Sunday night.
Marshall Plumlee, Duke: Plumlee played the best basketball of his Duke career this week. After going for 18 points and seven boards in a win at Wake Forest, Plumlee posted 21 points and 10 boards as the Blue Devils dispatched Virginia Tech at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Mo Watson, Creighton: Creighton made a statement this week with impressive wins over Georgetown and Seton Hall, and Watson was the catalyst, posted 27 points and four assists against the Hoyas and 13 points and 14 assists at Seton Hall.
BENCH: Jaron Blossomgame (Clemson), Ben Moore (SMU)

USC coach Andy Enfield (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

TEAM OF THE WEEK: USC Trojans

Dunk City West is starting to come to fruition.

The Trojans picked up two huge wins this week, knocking off Arizona State at home before beating No. 7 Arizona in a quadruple-overtime thriller on Saturday night. The two wins moved Andy Enfield’s club to 3-1 in Pac-12 play, a record that would be perfect had they not blown a 22-point second half lead at Washington last week, a collapse that was spurred on when their most important player, Julian Jacobs, left the game with an ankle injury.

It may be too early to truly call USC a Pac-12 contender (their next three games — at UCLA, at Oregon and at Oregon State — will give us that answer) but what’s clear is that this is going to be a team that is far more relevant to the conference race this season than we expected. For the most part, USC was thought to be a year away from mattering heading into the season, but now that we’re at the midway point, it seems clear this team isn’t going anywhere.

The thing that gets you with this USC team: their balance. Six guys average double-figures and five of them are scoring between 12.2 and 12.9 points. Pick your poison.

THEY WERE GOOD, TOO

SMU: The Mustangs remained undefeated on Sunday with a blowout win over UCF, but it was their come-from-behind win over Cincinnati — when they only had six scholarship players left — that got them on this list.
Baylor: The Bears made a statement this week, going into Hilton Coliseum and knocking off Iowa State despite trailing by double-figures in the second half. That came after they whipped Oklahoma State in a game where they grabbed 23 of a possible 34 offensive rebounds.
Pitt: It’s time to start taking the Panthers seriously. They’re now 15-1 on the season after beating Georgia Tech at home and knocking off Notre Dame in South Bend.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles may have changed the course of their season on Tuesday when they went into Providence and knocked off the Friars. They followed that up with a win over St. John’s at home.
Clemson: The Tigers moved to 3-1 in ACC play this week as they knocked off Louisville and and won at Syracuse.

SET YOUR DVR

No. 12 Miami at No. 4 Virginia, Tue. 7:00 p.m.
No. 1 Kansas at No. 17 West Virginia, Tue. 7:00 p.m.
No. 19 Iowa at No. 5 Michigan State, Thu. 7:00 p.m.
No. 24 Pitt at No. 16 Louisville, Thu. 9:00 p.m.
No. 17 West Virginia at No. 2 Oklahoma, 9:00 p.m.

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.”

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.