With two weeks remaining until Selection Sunday, here are the Texas-based teams projected into the NCAA tournament by Jerry Palm of cbssports.com:
(3) Texas Tech, in the South, at Dallas
(6) TCU, in the East, at Dallas
(7) Houston, in the West, at Pittsburgh
(9) Texas A&M, in the South, at Charlotte
(12) Texas, in the East, at Dayton (R-68)
Note: Texas is projected to play in the round of 68 and the others in the round of 64.
Who is the coach of the 14th-ranked Arizona Wildcats?
It’s uncertain after assistant Lorenzo Romar coached the team Saturday night in Eugene, Oregon.
Embattled head coach Sean Miller wasn’t on the bench as the Oregon Ducks downed the Wildcats 98-93 in overtime.
Miller’s status is apparently under review after a report linking him to college basketball’s burgeoning corruption scandal surfaced late Friday night.
Here is the full story from azcentral.com.
The adversity comes at an inopportune time for Arizona.
The Wildcats host Stanford and Cal this week to close their regular-season schedule.
Also looming? The Pac-12 tournament and the NCAA tournament.
In the meantime, Arizona (22-7 and 12-4) is clearly in need of coaching-staff clarity.
Known more for his jump shot, UTSA forward Deon Lyle weaves through traffic and double-clutches for a layup late in the game against Louisiana Tech.
UTSA shrugged off an injury to its leading scorer Saturday night and won its 17th game of the season, 74-64, over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
Playing for most of the night without guard Jhivvan Jackson, who hurt his left knee early in the first half, the Roadrunners rallied with double-figure scoring from Deon Lyle, Giovanni De Nicolao, Keaton Wallace and Byron Frohnen.
“LA Tech’s a good team with a lot of good athletes, and they shoot the ball very, very well,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “We had to lock in and do it with our defense tonight. We did some good thing offensively, but I loved our fight and our effort on the defensive end.”
Lyle led the Roadrunners with 17 points and seven rebounds. He hit five 3-point baskets.
De Nicolao scored 11, including nine points in the final 5:28. Wallace contributed 10 points and eight assists, while Frohnen produced 10 points and nine rebounds.
Guard Jacobi Boykins scored 17, including a 3-pointer to pull the Bulldogs to within three with 3:42 left.
But Boykins was held without a point after that against UTSA’s stingy perimeter defense.
LA Tech forward Oliver Powell added 14 points and guard Exavian Christon came off the bench for 11.
With the win, the Roadrunners remained in fifth place in the Conference USA standings, one game out of fourth with two to play.
The top four in the C-USA get a bye through the first round of the tournament.
UTSA’s main concern looking forward is the status of Jackson, who is scheduled for an MRI early next week.
Diagnosis on Jackson termed ‘very concerning’
“It’s the type of play that looked bad,” Henson said. “The initial diagnosis is very concerning. We’ll just have to wait until we get more (information).”
Henson said he was proud of Jackson for displaying a positive attitude on the bench.
“It’s a very, very difficult thing,” the coach said. “The doctor told him it was serious. He could have sat over there and pouted but he stayed very involved.
“He was involved in the huddles. In the locker room at halftime, we could hear him talking to the players before we got in there.
“So, it’s hard to keep your head up in a situation like that. But he handled it very, very well.”
UTSA forward Nick Allen sees an opening on the baseline and takes it to the rim for a stuff against Louisiana Tech.
In the opening minutes of the game, Jackson appeared to be in good form. He hit two three pointers and was active defensively.
On the fateful play, he took off speeding down court on the dribble and drove hard, only to crumple to the court underneath the goal.
Staying on the floor until a trainer came out, the 6-foot guard from Puerto Rico was helped off without putting much weight on the leg.
Jackson was leading the team with an 18.9 average, the fifth best in the nation for freshmen.
UTSA guard Giovanni De Nicolao maneuvers into the lane and lofts a soft floater into the net for two points late.
Records
UTSA 17-12, 10-6
Louisiana Tech 16-14, 7-10
Seniors’ last hurrah
It was a sweet win for UTSA’s four outgoing seniors, Austin Karrer, Kendell Ramlal, James Ringholt and Kyle Massie, who waved to the crowd for the last time at the Convocation Center.
Karrer, from New Braunfels Canyon, had four points, three rebounds and an assist. Ramlal also scored four points, including a mighty, two-handed slam at the end for UTSA’s last field goal.
Karrer said he had “mixed emotions” playing for the last time at home, noting, “l love these guys. I’d spend four more years here if I had ’em.’ They all know that. They know I love ’em. I’d like to think they played a little harder for me. I’d like to think that, at least.”
Coming up
UTSA at North Texas, Thursday; UTSA at Rice, Saturday (end of regular season)
C-USA tournament, March 7-10, at Frisco
The beleaguered Incarnate Word men’s basketball program snapped a 17-game losing streak Saturday afternoon, beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 69-62, on the road in the Southland Conference.
Charles Brown III, Shawn Johnson and Augustine Ene scored in double figures for the Cardinals’ first victory since Dec. 16 when they beat Missouri-Kansas City at home.
“It was a great team win with a lot of people contributing,” UIW coach Ken Burmeister said. “It was nice to hang in there when the game got tight.”
Brown produced 18 points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals, who improved to 6-20 and 1-15 in the SLC.
In addition, UIW’s Shawn Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Augustine Ene had 12 points and four assists.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi allowed UIW to hit 11 3-point shots in falling to 9-17 on the season and 6-10 in conference.
Joseph Kilgore (23 points) and Sean Rhea (18) led the Islanders, who shot 39 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three (5 of 20).
Coming up
UIW hosts two games next week, taking on Houston Baptist Wednesday night and then closing the season against Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon.
Add the name of Arizona head coach Sean Miller to the burgeoning corruption scandal in college basketball.
ESPN is reporting that Miller discussed with a representative for a professional player agent a plan to pay $100,000 to center Deandre Ayton.
Authored by Mark Schlabach, the story is linked here.
The corruption investigation by the FBI came to light last fall with indictments of officials in and around college basketball for bribery and fraud.
Among those indicted were assistant coaches at Arizona, Auburn, Oklahoma State and Southern Cal.
The story intensified earlier this week when the NCAA ordered Louisville to vacate victories over a four-year period that included the 2013 national title.
Louisville fired coach Rick Pitino last fall after Pitino was linked to a plan to pay a recruit.
Pitino has not been charged criminally.
Another chapter in the tale unfolded Friday when Yahoo Sports reported that players from more than 20 Division I teams had been identified as possibly breaking NCAA rules, according to information uncovered in the probe.
See the story, written by Pete Thamel and Pat Forde, here.
Some of the players identified are being held out of practices and games leading into the final few weeks of the regular season.
Texas, for instance, is holding out guard Eric Davis Jr.
But other schools, namely Duke, Alabama and Michigan State, are allowing players linked to the investigation to play.
Those players include forward Wendell Carter at Duke, guard Collin Sexton at Alabama and Miles Bridges at Michigan State.
With the reports swirling about Miller and Ayton, Arizona is set to play tonight at Oregon.
Miller was unavailable for comment to the media Friday night, per a story at azcentral.com. See the story here.
Arizona (22-6, 12-3) and Southern Cal (20-9, 11-5) are 1-2 in the Pac-12 standings.
The 7-foot-1 Ayton, averaging 19.6 points and 10.9 rebounds, is considered a potential NBA lottery pick if he comes out for the draft this summer.
Roadrunners win 16th of the season, ninth in C-USA play and sixth of last seven. #RunWithUshttps://t.co/Pxm5o5g7j2
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) February 23, 2018
Nearly two years have passed since the UTSA men’s basketball program bottomed out with a 5-27 record.
Nick Allen was a part of that squad, and so he takes great pride in knowing that he has figured prominently in re-making a culture that prides itself on winning.
Allen produced a career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds Thursday night, and UTSA won its 16th game with a 64-56, grind-it-out victory over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at the Convocation Center.
The 6-8 junior from Arizona was beaming when a reporter asked about the atmosphere in the locker room.
“I think we’ve won six out of the last seven, so that’s huge,” Allen said. “The locker room culture has definitely changed. I was part of the team that didn’t do too hot two years ago.
“And, it’s crazy how much the culture’s changed. We want to win. It’s a lot (more fun). Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to be here. So, it’s definitely nice.”
With the victory, UTSA improved to 16-12 overall and 9-6 in Conference USA. Southern Miss fell to 13-16 and 6-10.
The Roadrunners remain on pace for their best record since the basketball program transitioned out of the Southland Conference six years ago.
UTSA finished 18-14 and 10-6 in conference in 2011-12, its last year in the SLC.
The nine conference victories are the most for any UTSA team in the past five years, since it played one year in the Western Athletic Conference and the past four in the C-USA.
With three games left in the regular season, plus the C-USA tournament, the possibility of reaching 19 or even 20 victories in coach Steve Henson’s second year as coach seems to be a distinct possibility.
“We’re proud of our guys,” said Henson, who finished 14-19 last year. “(But) we’re not talking about a win total right now. We’re talking about what we’re still playing for.
“The results tonight put us back in the hunt for that No. 4 seed, which is huge in the conference tournament.”
After losing 84-79 to Old Dominion, fourth-place Marshall (19-9, 10-5) now leads fifth-place UTSA by only a game.
A tie for fourth would go to UTSA since it beat Marshall 81-77 in San Antonio on Feb. 1.
The top four seeds gain a bye through the first round in the 12-team C-USA tournament.
UTSA’s defense forces a Southern Miss turnover, leading to a layup on the other end, during a key sequence in the second half.
After leading by 22 early, UTSA ducked into the dressing room at intermission with only a 37-28 advantage.
Southern Miss played well in final eight minutes, out-scoring the home team, 19-6.
Guard Tyree Griffin led the charge with seven points. Guard Domini Magee also produced a key sequence with a layup, a steal and another layup.
At one point, the Roadrunners held a 31-9 advantage when forward Deon Lyle nailed a three with 8:19 remaining.
Nick Allen scores on a fast break layup on an assist from Keaton Wallace early in the first half.
Stat leaders
UTSA: Nick Allen (18 points on 8 of 13 shooting, 11 rebounds); Deon Lyle (14 points, including four 3-pointers); Jhivvan Jackson (10 points, seven rebounds); Keaton Wallace (10 points, four assists).
Southern Miss: Tyree Griffin (17 points, two 3-pointers, four assists); Cortez Edwards (12 points, seven rebounds). 2 of UTSA’s first 14 points.
Coming up
Saturday: Louisiana Tech at UTSA, 7 p.m., Southern Miss at UTEP.
Tournament time
March 7-10: C-USA tournament at Frisco.
Northwestern State dribbles out the last few seconds on the clock Wednesday night in a 66-54 victory at UIW, its first since Dec. 9.
Forward Ishmael Lane scored 22 points, and Northwestern State (La.) snapped a 17-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 66-54 victory over the Incarnate Word Cardinals.
Despite a season-high 19 points from Sam Burmeister, UIW lost its 17th straight, the longest skid in the school’s five-year history in the Southland Conference.
UIW freshman Augustine Ene started at point guard and scored a season-high 13.
Northwestern shot 51.5 percent from the field to seize a 38-32 halftime lead in a duel between cellar-dwellers in the SLC.
The game was played in UIW’s Convocation Center before a sparse crowd announced at 876.
Records
Northwestern State 4-22, 1-14
Incarnate Word 5-20, 0-15
Quoatable
“We just got to play harder,” said Burmeister, who scored 16 of his points in the first half. “We made some wrong mistakes at the wrong time.
“Every time we got it to two or four points we either get a turnover or miss a couple of free throws, which essentially is a turnover, and they come down and score.
“Just got to keep working, try to get one win. We got three opportunities to get one win. We don’t want to go this year without getting a win in conference.”
Notable/UIW
Seven minutes into the second half, UIW guard Cody Graham suffered a broken front tooth on a nasty fall under the basket.
Graham drove hard to the goal and drew contact with a Demons player, before coming down hard and hitting his head on the floor.
“He kind of blocked it, and his body hit mine,” Graham said. “When his body hit mine, I turned in the air, and when I turned, I banged my head on the ground.
“Then I banged it again and I bit my lip.”
After the fall, play was stopped so that the trainer could attend to him. Then he walked off to seek treatment. Graham returned to the bench later to watch the end of the game.
“I’m not in too much pain right now,” Graham said later. “It’s just a weird feeling right now, missing a tooth. Hopefully the doctor can take care of it and it’s not too serious.”
Graham said he will see a doctor Wednesday. He said he hopes to play Saturday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Notable/Northwestern State
Northwestern State’s last victory came on Dec. 9 in Alexandria, La., against Louisiana College.
Coach Mike McConathy, who has led the Demons to three NCAA tournaments in the past 18 seasons, said it feels good to break the streak.
“It’s been a long dry spell,” he said. “It’s been difficult. Got a lot of young guys. You know, they continue to be coach-able. We not very pretty but we compete very hard.
“We’re just fortunate that we were able to do the things that we did (tonight). I felt like, defensively, we did a good job. I mean, I have utmost respect for UIW and the shooters they have.”
Northwestern held UIW to 30.4 percent shooting for the game, including 23.1 percent in the second half (6 of 26).
UIW guard Sam Burmeister sneaks behind the defense for a fast break layup in the first half.
FINAL | WRAP IT IN MAROON AND WHITE!!! #RoadDawgs WIN BIG on the road, 93-81 #HailState? pic.twitter.com/R48qEJLg7t
— MSU Men's Basketball ? (@HailStateMBK) February 21, 2018
Mississippi State played with a purpose Tuesday night and recorded a convincing, 93-81 Southeastern Conference victory over the Texas A&M Aggies.
The Bulldogs led for the final 33 minutes in what was regarded as their best road win of the year.
It was also their first road win in history at College Station.
The Aggies, meanwhile, have lost three straight.
Perhaps of more concern, the Aggies have yielded more than 90 points twice in a row, giving up 94 points to the Arkansas Razorbacks last weekend and now 93 to the Bulldogs.
Against the Bulldogs, the Aggies shot 50.8 percent from the field but were out-rebounded 44-31, including 16-7 on the offensive glass.
Mississippi State forward Abdul Ado and guard Quinndary Weatherspoon gave A&M fits with four offensive rebounds apiece.
Ado, a redshirt freshman, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Weatherspoon had 17 points, six boards and five assists.
A&M forward Tyler Davis led the home team with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Records
Texas A&M 17-11, 6-9
Mississippi State 20-8, 8-7
Quotable
“Obviously, we are disappointed in the loss and disappointed in giving up … back-to-back games with 94 and 93 points,” Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said, in statements posted on the Aggies’ website. “We lost our defensive identity for whatever reason.
“We are struggling to make the tough play on the defensive end of the floor, and that is my responsibility. I have to do a better job of getting us prepared to play on the defensive end.
“I am not taking anything away from Mississippi State. Their guards were hard to defend, and we couldn’t keep them out of the lane. Their athleticism really gave us a lot of problems, and they have a good team.”
Coming up
Texas A&M at Vanderbilt, Saturday
South Carolina at Mississippi State, Saturday
Cards Play first of Two on the Road Against No. 5 Duke on Wednesday Night ?⚫
Game Preview ➡️ https://t.co/vPhfuGcg9e pic.twitter.com/o98GGFjVuH
— Louisville Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) February 20, 2018
The University of Louisville no longer can claim in the official record that its men’s basketball program won the 2013 NCAA championship.
Louisville has been ordered to vacate records for four seasons of former coach Rick Pitino’s controversial tenure, including trips to the Final Four in both 2012 and 2013.
According to an NCAA release, Louisville is also required to return money received through conference revenue sharing for appearances in the national tournament from 2012-15.
Officials at a Louisville news conference pegged the fine at about $600,000.
The NCAA determined in its investigation that a former Louisville basketball staffer arranged parties in which strippers entertained players and recruits.
In the wake of the allegations, Louisville self-imposed a penalty by taking itself out of consideration for the 2016 NCAA tournament.
The newest penalties came down after the school’s appeal of the additional sanctions was denied.
Pitino was fired in October over a separate matter, when Louisville acknowledged that its program was being investigated as part of a federal corruption probe of college basketball.
The former coach was linked to a plan to funnel $100,000 to the family of a recruit.
Pitino was not charged criminally in the probe.
Louisville is viewed as an NCAA tournament-caliber team this season under interim coach David Padgett.
The Cardinals are 18-9 and 8-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference leading into a Wednesday night game at No. 5 Duke.
Mood ? #KUbball pic.twitter.com/bgDE3NnPco
— Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) February 20, 2018
Eighth-ranked Kansas played at a championship level Monday night, following the lead of senior point guard Devonte’ Graham to a 104-74 victory over the slumping Oklahoma Sooners.
Shooting for a 14th straight Big 12 regular-season title, Kansas won its third in a row to move into first place by a half game over Texas Tech.
Graham produced 23 points and seven assists, while guiding an offense that hit the 100-point barrier for the first time in conference play and the fourth time overall this season.
OU freshman sensation Trae Young, the nation’s leader in scoring (29.0) and assists (9.2), struggled again with his shot.
Though the 6-foot-2 point guard passed for nine assists, Young made only 3 of 13 from the field to score a season-low 11 — 18 below his average.
Young simply doesn’t appear to have the same explosive burst that he did in November and December.
He has hit only 14 of 50 shots from the floor in his last three games.
Records
Kansas 22-6, 11-4
Oklahoma 16-11, 6-9
Big picture
Kansas — The up and down Jayhawks are getting hot at the right time. They hit 60.9 percent from the field and 55.2 percent (16 of 29) from three.
Oklahoma — Once regarded as a premier team nationally, the Sooners have dropped nine of their last 11. They need to start winning just to make the 68-team NCAA tournament field.
Quotable
“We’re a better basketball team than we were three weeks ago. I do believe that,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in comments posted on KU social media.
Graham, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., said it felt great to see the Jayhawks play so well. “We haven’t won like this in a while,” he said.
Coming up
Kansas at Texas Tech, Saturday
Kansas State at Oklahoma, Saturday