SATURDAY’S SNACKS: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 North Carolina fall on the road

By Raphielle JohnsonFeb 6, 2016, 3:56 PM EST

AP Photo/Orlin Wagner

GAME OF THE DAY: Fresno State 111, UNLV 104 (2OT)

The Bulldogs outlasted the Runnin’ Rebels in Fresno, needing two extra sessions to do so. Marvelle Harris led the way with 37 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and just one turnover, with Julien Lewis scoring 18 points off the bench and forward Cullen Russo adding 17 points and ten boards. As for UNLV, five of the six players who scored reached double figures with Patrick McCaw (16 rebounds) scoring 28 points and Ike Nwamu 27.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

No. 9 Virginia 64, Pittsburgh 50: Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers won their sixth straight game, and in each of their last three wins Virginia has held their opponent to 50 points or fewer. Pittsburgh shot just 39.1 percent on the day against Virginia’s pack line defense, and on the other end Malcolm Brogdon and London Perrantes combined to score 35 points.

No. 3 Villanova 72, No. 11 Providence 60: The Wildcats once again played without the injured Daniel Ochefu, and once again they took care of business. Villanova limited the Friars to 19 first half points, and Darryl Reynolds (19 points, ten rebounds), Josh Hart (14 and 13) and Kris Jenkins (ten and ten) all posted double-doubles in leading a dominant effort on the glass. Ben Bentil scored 20 points for the Friars but Kris Dunn struggled, scoring 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting and committing six turnovers.

No. 4 Maryland 72, No. 18 Purdue 61: Trailing by four with just under six minutes remaining, the Terrapins went on a 9-0 to take control of the game in College Park. Rasheed Sulaimon scored 21 points and grabbed ten rebounds and Robert Carter Jr. added 19 and seven caroms for the Terps, who remain a game behind Iowa and Indiana in the Big Ten standings. And they can thank their refocus on the defensive end for the comeback.

No. 14 West Virginia 80, No. 15 Baylor 69: The Mountaineers didn’t force many turnovers, but they managed to win in impressive fashion nonetheless. Daxter Miles Jr. led four WVU players in double figures with 20 points and Jaysean Paige added 17 off the bench for Bob Huggins’ team, which is now in sole possession of first place in the Big 12. King McClure and Ishmail Wainwright scored 11 apiece to lead the way offensively for Baylor.

BUBBLE BANTER: No. 25 South Carolina, George Washington pick up big wins

STARRED

Patricio Garino, George Washington: Garino scored 27 points, shooting 11-for-16 from the field, in a 72-69 win at VCU.

Bryn Forbes, Michigan State: Forbes scored 29 points, shooting 8-for-10 from three, in the Spartans’ 16-point win at Michigan.

Jamal Murray, Kentucky: 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting and six rebounds in the Wildcats’ 80-61 win over Florida.

STRUGGLED

Kris Dunn, Providence: Dunn was the focal point of Villanova’s defensive efforts and it showed, as he scored 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting and had more turnovers (six) than assists (four) in the 72-60 defeat.

Chris Chiozza and KeVaughn Allen, Florida: Chiozza and Allen combined to shoot 2-for-14 from the field, scoring six points in a 19-point loss at No. 20 Kentucky.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25

Who wants to be number one? A new team will likely take the top spot Monday, as No. 1 Oklahoma fell 80-69 at Kansas State. Wesley Iwundu led the way with 22 points, seven assists and some good defense on Buddy Hield. Hield scored 23 points but did so on 7-for-16 shooting as the Sooners had issues both offensively and defensively in Manhattan.
No. 6 Xavier scored 55 second half points, erasing a four-point halftime deficit to beat Marquette 90-82. Three Musketeers scored at least 20 points on the day, with Trevon Bluiett scoring 23 and Edmond Sumner and J.P. Macura 20 apiece. Henry Ellenson led the Golden Eagles with 22 points and seven rebounds, with Haanif Cheatham adding 21 points.
No. 7 Kansas took care of business as expected in Fort Worth, beating TCU 75-56. Perry Ellis led the way with 23 points and ten rebounds, with Devonte’ Graham adding 15 points, and the Jayhawks did a far better job on the glass than they did against Kansas State midweek.
No. 8 Texas A&M lost for the third time in the last four games, this time falling at home to No. 25 South Carolina 81-78. Sindarius Thornwell finished with 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists and Michael Carrera added 20 for the Gamecocks, who shot 52.6 percent from the field.
Bryn Forbes hit seven first-half three pointers as No. 10 Michigan State took care of Michigan, 89-73. Forbes finished with 29 points and Denzel Valentine added 21, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Spartans.
No. 13 Iowa State, playing without the suspended Jameel McKay, rebounded from a slow start to beat Oklahoma State 64-59 in Stillwater. Georges Niang led a balanced scoring effort with 18 points while also grabbing nine rebounds.
No. 19 Louisville played its first game since announcing their self-imposed postseason ban, and without the injured Damion Lee (bruised knee) they took care of ACC cellar dweller Boston College 79-47. Trey Lewis scored 16 points and Deng Adel, who replaced Lee in the starting lineup, tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
No. 20 Kentucky rebounded from its disappointing collapse at Tennessee with an 80-61 win over Florida in Lexington. Jamal Murray scored 20 of his 35 points in the first half and Tyler Ulis added 18 points and 11 assists.
No. 21 Wichita State had two streaks come to an end in its 58-53 loss at Illinois State: their 12-game win streak this season, and a 19-game win streak in Valley regular season games. Paris Lee scored 19 points and Deontae Hawkins added 14 for the Redbirds, who outscored Wichita State 22-9 from the foul line.
No. 23 Arizona became the third Pac-12 team to sweep a road trip in league play this season, winning 77-72 at Washington. The Wildcats, who join Oregon and Utah for the road sweep distinction, were led offensively by Ryan Anderson who finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
No. 24 Dayton moved into a tie for first in the Atlantic 10 as they blew out George Mason, 98-64. Charles Cooke led five Flyers in double figures with 24 points to go along with four rebounds and five assists, and as a team Dayton shot 62.9 percent from the field.

OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS

Memphis rebounded from a disappointing effort against UConn Thursday night, beating Cincinnati 63-59 at home. Shaq Goodwin and Dedric Lawson both posted lines of 20 points and 11 rebounds for the winners.
Temple avoided what would have been a damaging loss on the road, holding off UCF 62-60 in Orlando. Mark Williams scored 16 points off the bench and starter Quenton DeCosey added 15 for the Owls.
Florida State has now won four straight games, as they won 91-71 at Wake Forest. With the recent Louisville news, the Seminoles could be one bubble team that finds a way to benefit.
Stony Brook moved to 11-0 in America East play with a 91-73 win at UMass-Lowell. Jameel Warney finished with 24 points and 14 boards.
Duke beat NC State 88-80 in Durham, doing so after the Wolfpack mounted a rally to tie the game in the second half. Grayson Allen scored 28 points and Luke Kennard 26 for the Blue Devils, who welcomed head coach Mike Krzyzewski back to the sidelines after he missed their game at Georgia Tech due to illness.
San Diego State remained undefeated in Mountain West play (11-0) with a 78-71 overtime win over New Mexico. A Malik Pope three pointer in the final seconds of regulation forced overtime, and from there the Aztecs took control. Following the game, the conference admitted that the Lobos were victims of a botched call late in regulation.
North Dakota handed Weber State its second defeat in Big Sky play, beating the Wildcats 78-71. Geno Crandall led five North Dakota players in double figures with 21 points.
Valparaiso moved to 20-4 on the season with a 73-55 win at UIC. Bryce Drew’s Crusaders limited the Flames to 32-8 percent shooting on the day.
North Texas scored 50 second-half points, erasing a ten-point halftime deficit to beat Louisiana Tech 80-69. Deckie Johnson scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Mean Green.
BYU suffered a loss that won’t help their NCAA tournament hopes, falling at home 77-72 to Pacific.
In Colorado State’s 76-67 win over Nevada, forward Emmanuel Omogbo grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds.
Chattanooga moved to 10-1 in the SoCon with a 62-54 win over Furman. Matt McCall’s Mocs currently have a two-game lead on both Mercer and East Tennessee State.
Antonio Blakeney scored 31 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench and Keith Hornsby added 25 points as LSU beat Mississippi State 88-77. With Saturday’s results LSU is now in sole possession of first place in the SEC.
Wyoming shot an incredible 20-for-38 from three in their 84-65 win over Utah State. The Cowboys are the second team to make 20 three-pointers in a game this season, joining North Florida.
Speaking of the Ospreys, they were handed their second conference loss of the season by FGCU. The Eagles won 81-65, dropping UNF (7-2) into a tie for first in the Atlantic Sun with Jacksonville.
Seton Hall continued its march towards and NCAA tournament berth, beating Georgetown 69-61. Angel Delgado led the way with 19 points and 13 boards for Seton Hall, which won despite Isaiah Whitehead shooting 3-for-15.
Montana moved into first place in the Big Sky with an 82-80 win over Portland State. The Grizzlies are 9-2, with Weber State a half-game back at 8-2.
Hawai’i moved into a tie for first place in the Big West by winning 75-60 at Cal Poly. Eran Ganot’s Rainbow Warriors are now 7-1, and they host UC Irvine in a battle for sole possession of first place Thursday night.

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.