LATE NIGHT SNACKS: Another ranked team, No. 5 Texas A&M, falls

By Raphielle JohnsonJan 27, 2016, 10:15 PM EST

AP Photo/Sarah Bentham

GAME OF THE NIGHT: Maine 105, Hartford 100 (OT)

The Black Bears surpassed their conference win total from a season ago Wednesday night, moving to 3-4 in America East play with a five-point overtime win at Hartford (they went 2-14 in league play last season). Aaron Calixte scored 23 points and Till Gloger 22 to lead the way for Bob Walsh’s team, with Hartford’s Pancake Thomas leading all scorers with 29 points. Trailing by seven with 2:10 remaining in overtime, Maine went on a 12-0 run to grab control of the game.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

Arkansas 74, No. 5 Texas A&M 71: The Razorbacks picked up a nice win at home, holding off the Aggies who suffered their first loss in SEC play. Anthlon Bell and Dusty Hannahs scored 17 apiece and Moses Kingsley posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds on the night for the winners. As for the Aggies, despite Danuel House scoring 24 they were out of character for most of the game and that cost them in the end.

Clemson 73, Pittsburgh 60: The Tigers finished off what at first glance appeared to be an arduous five-game stretch with a 13-point win over the Panthers, going 4-1 with the lone defeat coming at Virginia. Jaron Blossomgame scored 22 points to lead four Clemson players in double figures, and defensively they limited Pitt to 38.2 percent shooting.

But here’s the question to be asked in the aftermath of this game: should there be concern over Pittsburgh’s résumé? Their best non-conference win came over Davidson, and their best ACC wins came against Syracuse (sans Jim Boeheim) and Notre Dame. That three-game stretch of Virginia (2/6), at Miami (2/9) and at North Carolina (2/14) looms large for Jamie Dixon’s team as a result.

No. 20 Kentucky 88, Missouri 54: Beating a bad Mizzou team like they stole something isn’t all that noteworthy. But the performances of Derek Willis and Skal Labissiere are noteworthy for Kentucky, especially when considering their chances of winning the SEC and playing deep into march. Labissiere didn’t grab a rebound, but in 18 minutes he accounted for 12 points and five blocks. As for Willis, he continued his run of good play by scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Over the last four games the junior’s averaging 12.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. If he can continue on that path, and Labissiere become a more consistent contributor, the Wildcats will be a far more dangerous team.

STARRED

Josh Adeyeye, Jacksonville: 35 points, shooting 13-for-21 from the field, and eight rebounds in the Dolphins’ 78-69 win at FGCU.

Keon Johnson, Winthrop: Johnson shot 10-for-13 from three, scoring 36 points, in the Eagles’ 97-72 win over Charleston Southern.

Patrick McCaw, UNLV: 25 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the field, four rebounds, four assists and five steals in the Runnin’ Rebels’ 87-77 win over Boise State.

STRUGGLED

Mike Crawford and Jermaine Bishop, Saint Louis: Crawford and Bishop combined to shoot 3-for-20 from the field in the Billikens’ blowout loss at Dayton. As a team SLU shot 3-for-24 from three and 27.3 percent from the field.

Kareem Canty, Auburn: Canty struggled in a loss at Ole Miss, scoring eight points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field.

Wes Clark, Missouri: Clark scored 11 points in the Tigers’ loss at No. 20 Kentucky, but he did so on 3-for-16 shooting.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25

Damion Lee (29) and Trey Lewis (22) combined to score 51 points as No. 16 Louisville won 91-83 at Virginia Tech. As a team the Cardinals shot 12-for-18 from three and 52.9 percent from the field. Jalen Hudson (27) and Seth Allen (26) combined to score 53 for the Hokies, but their efforts were not enough.
No. 17 Baylor trailed by as much as 12 in the first half before coming back to beat Oklahoma State 69-65 in Stillwater. Taurean Prince scored 17 points and Rico Gathers Sr. added 16 points and nine boards for the Bears, who racked up 13 steals thanks in large part to increased activity in their 1-1-3 zone defense.
No. 21 Purdue, playing without injured forward Caleb Swanigan (ankle), held off Minnesota to win 68-64 at The Barn. Vince Edwards scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the way, with A.J. Hammons adding 16 points and eight boards.
No. 22 Wichita State has now won ten straight games, as they beat Loyola (Chicago) 80-54. Six Shockers scored at least eight points, with Shaquille Morris’ 12 leading the way, and Gregg Marshall’s team shot 53.8 percent from the field. By comparison, the Ramblers made just 39.2 percent of their field goals.

OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS

Coastal Carolina beat UNC Asheville 68-66 in overtime, dropping the Bulldogs into a three-way tie atop the Big South. UNC Asheville is now tied with High Point and Winthrop at 7-3, with those two picking up wins Wednesday night.
Three days after handing No. 13 SMU its first defeat, Temple did some harm to its résumé with a 64-61 loss at East Carolina. Prince Williams led three Pirates in double figures with 18 points.
Keep an eye on Saint Joseph’s in the A-10. The Hawks have now won six straight and 13 of their last 14 after beating UMass 78-70 in Philadelphia. Isaiah Miles, one of the nation’s most improved players, went for 27 and 12 in the win.
Also a game behind 7-0 VCU in the loss column is Dayton, which moved to 7-1 in the A-10 with a 73-37 win over Saint Louis. Kendall Pollard and Dyshawn Pierre combined for 30 points and 16 boards.
Navy’s six-game win streak came to an end, as the Midshipmen fell 63-58 at American to fall to 6-2 in Patriot League play. Bucknell, which was off Wednesday night, remains in first with an 8-1 record.
Josh Adeyeye went off for 35 points to lead Jacksonville to a 78-69 win at FGCU. Those two teams are now tied for second in the A-Sun with 4-2 record, with reigning champion North Florida (6-0) now having a two-game lead.
Seton Hall took care of business against St. John’s beating the Red Storm 79-60. That result won’t make waves, but that’s better than suffering a loss that can do some serious damage to a team’s tournament credentials.
Also in that category in the Big East is Butler, which beat DePaul 67-53. All three of the Bulldogs’ conference wins have come against the Blue Demons (twice) and St. John’s.
Duncan Robinson led four in double figures with 18 points as Michigan beat Rutgers 68-57 in Ann Arbor.
Georgia Tech went on the road and beat NC State 90-83, despite Cat Barber scoring a game-high 36 points. Three Yellow Jackets scored at least 20 points, with Marcus Georges-Hunt tallying 26.
Colorado moved to 5-3 in the Pac-12 with a 91-75 win over Stanford in Boulder. George King scored 23 points off the bench and Josh Fortune added 21 for the Buffaloes.
UC Irvine remained undefeated in Big West play with a 73-63 win at CSUN. The Anteaters are now 17-5 overall, which represents their best start to a season since 2000-01.
Jakob Poeltl scored 21 points and grabbed nine boards and Brandon Taylor and Kyle Kuzma added 15 apiece as Utah beat California 73-64. The Golden Bears are now 1-7 away from Haas Pavilion this season.
When Patrick McCaw plays well, so does UNLV. The sophomore dropped 25 on Boise State as the Runnin’ Rebels won 87-77. Stephen Zimmerman Jr. added 18 and eight boards and Derrick Jones Jr. 17 for UNLV, which is now 4-1 under interim head coach Todd Simon.

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.”