Author Archives: Jerry Briggs

Baseball: TCU scores in the ninth to beat UTSA, 5-4

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Cole Cramer’s one-out sacrifice fly to right field scored Jack Arthur from third base in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday night, lifting the TCU Horned Frogs to a 5-4 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in Fort Worth.

TCU righthander Cohen Feser (1-0) from San Antonio earned the victory with three innings of scoreless relief. In the top of the ninth, Feser retired three straight batters to give the Horned Frogs a chance to win it in their last at bat.

On the third out of the inning, UTSA’s Mason Lytle hit it hard to left field, but the ball was knocked down by the wind and caught just inside the warning track.

The Horned Frogs opened the bottom half against a new pitcher, Zach Royse, UTSA’s regular Friday night starter. Karson Bowen led off with a drive to right that got over the head of outfielder James Taussig for a double.

After Arthur entered the game as a pinch runner, Royse struck out Isaac Cadena for the first out.

Then, with Cramer at the plate, Royse appeared to surprise UTSA catcher Andrew Stucky with his location on a pitch that caromed off Stucky’s mitt for a passed ball, allowing Arthur to take third.

Cramer followed by sending a fly ball to deep right that allowed Arthur to score, ending the Roadrunners’ six-game winning streak.

For UTSA, it was a missed opportunity in its effort to win road games this season at Texas A&M, Texas and TCU. The Horned Frogs entered the night rated 33rd on the RPI, with UTSA at No. 41, a season-high.

The Roadrunners’ offense wasn’t great. Horned Frogs pitching held them to eight hits, all singles. But UTSA pitching for the most part threw the ball well, save for five walks that gave the Horned Frogs too many chances.

Six hurlers, including Gunnar Brown, Jake Cothran, Connor Kelley, Christian Okerholm, Robert Orloski and Royse, held the Frogs to 10 hits. Royse (2-4) took the loss.

TCU used six pitchers, as well, including Trever Baumler, San Antonio’s Mason Bixby, Kaden Smith, Zack James, Gianluca Shinn and Feser, a 6-foot-2 redshirt junior from Reagan High School.

Bixby, a 6-7 sophomore from Johnson, pitched two innings and allowed one run on two hits. TCU shortstop Anthony Silva, a junior from Clark, went one for three at the plate and scored a run. He had four infield assists, a key putout and a throwing error.

Bowen and Cadena both went two for five for the Horned Frogs. Cadena slammed a solo homer and a double.

For UTSA, Norris McClure had three of UTSA’s eight hits. The transfer from Division II Spring Hill College in Alabama went three for four and scored a run.

After TCU opened the scoring with three runs in the second, the Roadrunners got one back in the third and then scored three in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.

During the uprising, UTSA had runners at first and second with nobody out when Bowen, TCU’s catcher, fired to second to pick off McClure. It appeared that McClure beat the initial tag attempt by Silva, only to be tagged again when his momentum carried him off the bag.

Without the perfect throw from Bowen and the heads-up tag by Silva, the Roadrunners might have scored more than three runs and could have had a multiple-run lead.

Instead, the Roadrunners had to settle for the one-run margin going into the bottom of the fifth, and that is when Cadena greeted Kelley with a leadoff shot to right that carried well over the wall, tying the score, 4-4.

Records

UTSA 23-8
TCU 22-8

Coming up

UTSA at UAB, Friday, 5 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Saturday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Baseball: Fast-rising UTSA ready for another challenge at TCU

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Jordan Ballin.

Jordan Ballin has emerged as one of three freshmen, along with Caden Miller and Nathan Hodge, to make a significant impact on a UTSA team that has started 23-7 with victories over Texas A&M and Texas. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With a 23-7 record, the UTSA Roadrunners have established arguably the best 30-game start in Coach Pat Hallmark’s six years with the program.

After winning on the road at Texas A&M and Texas and starting 5-1 in the American Athletic Conference, they’ll try to add to their body of work tonight when they play a midweek game in Fort Worth against the 21-8 TCU Horned Frogs of the Big 12.

“We’re resilient and persistent, two things we try to be,” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said. “So we’re prepared, but that doesn’t guarantee you anything. TCU is really good. Kirk Saarloos is a terrific coach. He’s been doing this a long time. He knows what he’s doing.”

The Horned Frogs have started to click with seven wins in their last nine games, including a non-conference road victory at 15th-ranked Dallas Baptist, and a pair of 2-1 Big 12 road series victories over Texas Tech and Houston.

In the most recent ratings percentage index, TCU will enter the game tonight at No. 33 nationally. UTSA is not far behind, slotted in at No. 41, which represents a 30-spot jump from last week.

The Roadrunners made the jump after two straight strong weekends of play in the American. From March 21-23, they won two of three at Charlotte.

Last weekend, they played at home and beat the FAU Owls three straight, coming from behind in each of the victories.

“We can get better on defense, certainly, but (we’re) pleased with the way we played,” Hallmark said.

In the Horned Frogs, the Roadrunners will be facing a midweek challenge that is likely every bit as tough as the Aggies or the Longhorns. TCU is 7-0 in midweek games this season and is 14-0 in midweek home games dating back to 2023.

“Their arms will be really good,” Hallmark said. “They’ll have as good of pitching as anyone we’ve faced. But we’ll be ready. I think we’ll be prepared.”

The Roadrunners are starting to play so well that some have drawn comparisons to Hallmark’s standout teams in 2022 and 2023. Both years, UTSA won 38 games, one win shy of the school record.

In 2022, the Roadrunners rolled out a 30-game start of 19-11, which included a home win over second-ranked Stanford and a road victory at TCU. In 2023, they started 23-7, with the best wins in non-conference coming at home over Houston and on the road at Baylor.

The ’22 team was an offensive juggernaut powered by Leyton Barry, Chase Keng and Ryan Flores. The Roadrunners had nine players batting .300 or better. Luke Malone, who went 9-3 and finished with a 2.67 earned run average, paced a deep pitching staff.

At the end of the season, they got hot and nearly won the Conference USA tournament, beating nationally-ranked Southern Miss twice on its home field before losing in the title game to Louisiana Tech.

In 2023, the Roadrunners had seven players hitting .300 or better, led by Antonio Valdez at .387. Moreover, they also hit 78 home runs.

Paced by Malone and ace reliever Simon Miller, the ’23 team hit its stride late in the C-USA regular season, moving into the Top 25 of multiple national polls in March and early April.

After finishing second in the C-USA at 21-8, the Roadrunners were ousted from the double-elimination tournament after two games. Neither team, in either 2022 or 2023, received an NCAA at-large bid.

This season, the Roadrunners have five regulars batting .300 or better, led by Mason Lytle’s .391. Lytle ranks eighth in NCAA Division I with 50 hits. Newcomer Drew Detlefsen ranks among national leaders in home runs (eight) and RBI (48).

Pitching, perhaps deeper than it has been in previous years, is anchored by starters Zach Royse, Braylon Owens and Conor Myles. Robert Orloski is 7-0 with one save out of the bullpen.

Hallmark said he hasn’t thought much about how his two 38-win teams might compare to this one except to say that a few years ago the Roadrunners were led by older, mature leaders such as Jonathan Tapia, Ian Bailey and Chase Keng (in 2022) and Luke Malone (in 2022 and 2023).

The current team’s level of maturity is similar, the coach said, even though it relies heavily on freshmen such as Jordan Ballin, Caden Miller and Nathan Hodge.

“Athletically,” he said, “I think we might be a tick more athletic this year. We have a good combination of physical kids that can really move pretty good, which you don’t always see at a mid major.

“Then I think our pitching may be similar, with older, more experienced pitchers,” he said. “Guys like Luke Malone were the leaders of those (previous) teams.

“Braylon Owens is one of our leaders (this year). He’s older. He’s been around. So, some similarities in the pitching, (with) strike throwers.”

Records

UTSA 23-7
TCU 21-8

Coming up

UTSA at TCU, tonight, 6 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Friday, 5 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Saturday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Sunday, 1 p.m.

A Final Four with four No. 1 seeds: Auburn, Florida, Duke and Houston

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NCAA Final Four
At the Alamodome

Saturday’s schedule
(NCAA semifinals)
Florida vs. Auburn, 5:09 p.m.
Duke vs Houston, 7:39 p.m.

Monday (April 7)
NCAA finals, TBD

Final Four glance
Auburn 32-5
Florida 34-4
Duke 35-3
Houston 34-4

(All four are No. 1 seeds — Auburn from the South region, Florida from the West, Duke from the East and Houston from the Midwest. It’s only the second time in Final Four history that four No. 1 seeds will play in the national semifinals. Both times, in downtown San Antonio. The other was in 2008, when the field included Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA. That year, Kansas beat Memphis for the title.)

Baseball: UTSA wins 7-6 to sweep three from Florida Atlantic

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA scored two runs in the seventh and one in the ninth Sunday to beat the Florida Atlantic University Owls, 7-6, sweeping a three-game series in the American Athletic Conference at Roadrunner Field.

Pat Hallmark.

Coach Pat Hallmark’s UTSA Roadrunners improved to 23-7 overall and 5-1 in conference with a three-game sweep of the FAU Owls. – File photo by Joe Alexander

James Taussig, who was celebrating his birthday, accounted for the last three UTSA runs. In the seventh, he delivered with a two-out, two-run double to right.

In the ninth, with the bases loaded, he singled and drove in the winning run from third.

For the third straight day, the Roadrunners fell into an early hole, climbed out of it and won the game.

On Sunday, the Owls led 2-1 in the fourth and built a 6-3 advantage after a four-run fifth.

From there, UTSA’s relief pitching and defense took over, shutting down out the Owls in four straight innings.

After reliever Kendall Dove gave up a two-run homer in the fifth, he settled down and pitched into the eighth, when center fielder Mason Lytle made a key play by throwing out a runner on the bases.

After UTSA lefty Jake Cothran faced one batter, Gunnar Brown got the last out and then worked a clean ninth inning.

Records

FAU 19-9, 2-4
UTSA 23-7, 5-1

Coming up

UTSA at TCU, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Notable

FAU’s John Schroeder hit a solo home run to center off UTSA starter Conor Myles in the second inning. It was his second homer in two days at Roadrunner Field. FAU’s Jake Millan blasted a three-run homer off Kendall Dove in the fifth.

The Roadrunners have started conference play with series victories over teams that beat them last May in the AAC tournament.

Last May, UTSA took a No. 2 seed into the tournament in Clearwater, Fla., and lost to Charlotte, 9-5, in 12 innings. The next day, UTSA lost to FAU, 12-5, to end its season 0-2 in the double elimination format.

Last week, they opened AAC play by winning two out of three on the road at Charlotte and then followed by taking all three at home against FAU. UTSA’s last series sweep in conference play came a year ago, to the week, last March 28-30 on the road at Tulane.

NCAA basketball: Houston advances to the Final Four

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Houston Cougars are coming to San Antonio to play in the NCAA Final Four.

Top-seeded Houston built a 19-point halftime lead and then fended off a rally in the second half to beat the two seed Tennessee Vols 69-50 on Sunday in the Midwest regional final at Indianapolis.

With Tennessee trying to mount a comeback, Emanuel Sharp knocked down three three-point baskets in the final 5:29 to lift the Houston program into its seventh Final Four and its second in the last five seasons under Coach Kelvin Sampson.

The Cougars, who have won 17 in a row, are scheduled to play the Duke Blue Devils in the national semifinals on Saturday in the Alamodome.

Duke is the No. 1 seed out of the East region. The Blue Devils advanced with an 85-65 victory Saturday night in Newark, N.J.

L.J. Cryer led the Cougars with 17 points, including 10 in the first half. Sharp heated up in the second half and finished with 16. He made four of 10 from beyond the three-point arc.

Joseph Tugler pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Cougars, who out-boarded the Volunteers 42-35, including 14-12 on the offensive glass. Defensively, Houston limited Tennessee to 28.8 percent shooting.

Shut off from making drives to the basket, the Vols hoisted 29 three-point shots and made only five for 17.2 percent. The Cougars weren’t great, making only 42.4 percent from the field.

From three, the Cougars made nine of 25 for 36 percent.

First half

The Cougars surged to a 34-15 lead on the Volunteers, who shot only 21 percent from the field.

Houston didn’t set the world on fire offensively, shooting only 41 percent and making three of 10 from outside the three-point arc, but with Tennessee’s futility, the Cougars had a relatively easy time of it in the first 20 minutes.

Even with UH starting forward J’Wan Roberts on the bench with two fouls for much of the half, the Cougars were unfazed in methodically building a commanding lead.

L.J. Cryer led the Cougars with 10 points and Terrence Arceneaux had eight off the bench. Joseph Tugler had six rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

Tennessee shot an air ball on its first attempt of the game and struggled the rest of the half, making only 6 of 28 from the field, including 1 of 15 from three.

Houston did a good job defensively, as usual, but many of the Vols’ misses from deep came without much pressure.

Even Tennessee leading scorer Chaz Lanier was off. Lanier, who averaged 18 points a game, scored only two. He was one of nine from the field.

Records

Tennessee 30-8
Houston 34-4

Coming up

Houston vs. Duke in the national semifinals, Saturday, April 5, in San Antonio

Baseball: UTSA clinches AAC series victory over Florida Atlantic

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Ty Hodge.

Ty Hodge makes a play at shortstop Saturday as UTSA defeats the FAU Owls 7-3 at Roadrunner Field, beating the visitors twice in two days and improving to 22-7 on the season. UTSA is 4-1 in the American Athletic Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Drew Detlefsen belted two home runs and carried UTSA past the FAU Owls 7-3 on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field, clinching a series victory over one of the top-rated teams in the American Athletic Conference.

Both teams entered the series ranked among the AAC’s best in the NCAA Division I baseball RPI. UTSA was No. 71 nationally and FAU was No. 78, so the Roadrunners have likely earned some respect after coming from behind twice in two days to win.

On Friday, they fell behind 5-1 but rallied to claim a 10-7 victory. On Saturday, FAU jumped out to a 3-0 lead but could not hold off UTSA. Detlefsen and Caden Miller led the charge. Detlefsen hit a solo homer in the fourth and a three-run shot in the seventh.

Miller had sacrifice flies in the fifth and the seventh.

Starting pitcher Braylon Owens worked four innings and gave up three runs, giving way to relievers Christian Okerholm, Connor Kelley and Rob Orloski, who combined to shut out the explosive Owls the rest of the way.

Okerholm started the fifth inning and yielded three hits in 2 and 2/3. Kelley (1-0) earned his first victory of the season, striking out two and keeping FAU hitless for 1 and 1/3. Orloski pitched a clean ninth with one strikeout.

Righthander Tyler Murphy (2-2) took the loss, though he pitched well in stretches, going six innings, giving up four runs and eight hits.

Marshall Lypsey and Jake Duer, two of the top hitters in the AAC, had two hits each for the Owls. John Schroeder clubbed a two-run homer off Owens in the third inning to give FAU a 3-0 lead.

Records

FAU 19-8, 2-3
UTSA 22-7, 4-1

Coming up

FAU at UTSA, Sunday at noon
UTSA at TCU, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Notable

Detlefsen, a junior college transfer from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College, is batting .355 for the season. He leads the Roadrunners with eight home runs and 48 RBI in 29 games. He’s been hot this week with seven hits in 14 at bats, with three doubles and two homers. In a game against Texas State Tuesday, he exploded for four hits and seven RBI. He had four RBI on Saturday against FAU.

Final Four bound: Walter Clayton Jr. sparks Florida’s rally past Texas Tech, 84-79

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Guard Walter Clayton Jr. ignited a comeback in the last six minutes Saturday to rally the top-seeded Florida Gators past the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 84-79, to earn a trip to the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.

After the No. 3 Red Raiders took a 71-61 lead with 6:18 remaining, Clayton seized control of the game, scoring 13 of his game-high 30 points to carry the Gators to the West regional title and their first Final Four in 11 years.

Texas Tech contributed to its own demise in a couple of crucial sequences with less than three minutes remaining. Leading by six, the Red Raiders missed the front end of one-and-one free-throw situations twice within a span of 35 seconds.

The Gators capitalized both times with three-point baskets on the other end. The first one, by forward Thomas Haugh, brought Florida to within three with 2:27 remaining. The second, by Clayton, tied the game 75-75 at the 1:47 mark.

After Texas Tech’s Darrion Williams scored inside to push the Red Raiders into a two-point lead, Clayton responded with a three as Florida took a 79-78 lead with 59 seconds left and never relinquished it.

Clayton started the game slowly but gradually got himself into it by driving and drawing contact and then knocking down free throws. He hit 13 of 14 at the line for the game. Haugh produced 20 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

At 6-foot-9, he was hard to guard on the perimeter, knocking down four of six from beyond the arc.

For the Red Raiders, Williams led the way with 23 points, five rebounds and three steals. Forward JT Toppin, the Big 12 Player of the Year, had 20 points and 11 rebounds. But in one of the keys to the game, the Gators made Toppin work, limiting him to nine of 22 shooting.

First half

In the last few minutes of the half, Florida stepped up its defense on one end and pushed the pace on the other, taking a 40-37 lead at intermission.

Averaging 85 points per game for the season, a quicker pace is definitely in the Gators’ favor. In the late run against the Red Raiders, guard Walter Clayton Jr. took advantage of it with three buckets.

Thomas Haugh was good throughout the first 20 minutes with 12 points and six rebounds.

For the Red Raiders, forward Darrion Williams finished the half with 10. JT Toppin, the Big 12 Player of the Year, scored nine. Both of them struggled against the Gators’ length, shooting only four of 10 apiece.

Chance McMillian, the Red Raiders’ third-leading scorer, returned to play after sitting out since March 13. He had seven points off the bench.

Records

Texas Tech 28-9
Florida 34-4

Coming up

Florida vs. Auburn or Michigan State in the national semifinals, April 5, in San Antonio

Road to the Elite Eight

Third-seeded Texas Tech: Opened the tournament with an 82-72 victory over 14 seed UNC Wilmington. Next, downed No. 11 Drake, 77-64, to advance to the second weekend. On Thursday night in San Francisco, rallied to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks 85-83 in overtime.

Top-seeded Florida: Routed 16th-seeded Norfolk State, 95-69. Edged defending national champion and No. 8 Connecticut, 77-75. In San Francisco, powered past No. 4 seed Maryland, 87-71.

Baseball: Roadrunners win series opener against the FAU Owls

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UTSA celebrates after Caden Miller (34) hit a home run in the third inning. UTSA rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to beat Florida Atlantic 10-7 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, March 28, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA celebrates after Caden Miller (34) hits a home run in the third inning of a 10-7 victory over the Florida Atlantic University Owls. UTSA rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win the opener of a three-game series at Roadrunner Field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Freshman Caden Miller collected two hits, drove in four runs and bashed his sixth homer of the season Friday as UTSA rallied for a 10-7 victory over the Florida Atlantic University Owls at Roadrunner Field.

Falling behind 5-1 after two innings and trailing 6-3 entering their at bat in the bottom of the fourth, the Roadrunners kept battling and pulled out the victory in the first game of a three-game series against the Owls.

Andrew Stucky celebrates after scoring to cut FAU's lead to 6-5 in the sixth inning. UTSA rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to beat Florida Atlantic 10-7 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, March 28, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Andrew Stucky shows his emotions after scoring to cut FAU’s lead to 6-5 in the sixth inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s first home series in AAC play will continue with Game Two on Saturday at 4 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at noon.

Miller had a big day offensively and did a little of everything to help the team win. In the first inning, he was hit by a pitch and scored. In the third, he belted a two-run homer to trim FAU’s lead to 5-3.

He struck out looking in the fourth, but in the sixth, he roped a two-run double that highlighted a three-run outburst, giving UTSA the lead for good, 7-6. In the eighth, he was hit by a pitch again and scored in a most unconventional way.

On first base to lead off the inning, he moved to second on Mason Lytle’s single through the left side and to third on James Taussig’s sacrifice bunt. After another walk issued by FAU pitching, the bases were loaded with Norris McClure at the plate.

During McClure’s at bat, FAU catcher Ayden Garcia received a pitch behind the plate. As he was tossing it back to relief pitcher Kide Adetyui, Miller started sprinting toward home plate.

Adetyui threw home trying to cut off the run but sailed the ball high over the catcher’s outstretched glove, allowing Miller to score easily on what was scored as a throwing error, giving UTSA a 10-7 lead.

In the top of the ninth, UTSA reliever Robert Orloski retired three straight batters to end the game. Starting pitcher Zach Royse (2-3) was credited with the victory despite allowing six runs in six innings. Orloski worked the final 2 and 2/3 innings for the save.

Nathan Hodge. UTSA rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to beat Florida Atlantic 10-7 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, March 28, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA third baseman Nathan Hodge makes a play in the field during UTSA’s 10-7 victory over the FAU Owls. At the plate, Hodge walked twice and scored twice. — Photo by Joe Alexander

FAU reliever Steven Andrews (2-1) took the loss.

Marshall Lypsey highlighted FAU’s five-run second inning with a grand slam off Royse. Patrick Ward added a solo homer for the Owls in the eighth off Orloski. The Owls out-hit the Roadrunners, 10-7, with Lypsey, Ward and Brando Leroux getting two apiece.

Records

FAU 19-7, 2-2
UTSA 21-7, 3-1

Coming up

FAU at UTSA, Saturday, 4 p.m.
FAU at UTSA, Sunday, noon

Notable

With Miller’s two hits in three at bats, he raised his average to .322. UTSA freshman Jordan Ballin hiked his average to .357 with a two-for-three performance. He had RBI singles in the sixth and seventh innings.

Houston holds off Purdue 62-60 in the NCAA round of 16

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

On a perfectly-executed inbounds play, guard Milos Uzan hit a layup with less than a second remaining Friday to lift the top-seeded Houston Cougars to a 62-60 victory over the No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers in an NCAA Sweet 16 game at Indianapolis.

The Cougars’ 16th straight victory boosted them into the Elite Eight round of the tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Big 12 champion Houston (33-4) will play the Southeastern Conference’s Tennessee Volunteers (30-7) on Sunday afternoon for the Midwest regional title and a trip to the Final Four in San Antonio next week.

Second-seeded Tennessee advanced by defeating No. 3 Kentucky 78-65 earlier in the afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Elite Eight matchups

Saturday
Florida vs. Texas Tech, 5 p.m. on TBS/TruTV
Duke vs. Alabama, 7:30 p.m. on TBS/TruTV

Sunday
Houston vs. Tennessee, Sunday, 1:20 p.m. on CBS
Auburn vs. Michigan State, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. on CBS

A riveting finish

In a riveting finish, the Boilermakers manufactured a 14-4 run, erased a 10-point deficit and tied the game when Camden Heide made a three-pointer out of the corner with 35 seconds remaining.

Houston brought the ball up court and put in the hands of Milos Uzan, who had the hot offensive hand all night for the Cougars. After making contact with a Boilermakers defender, he hoisted a shot that went off the rim.

Joseph Tugler tried unsuccessfully to tip it in but he, too, missed and the ball went out of bounds.

On the ensuing inbounds, Uzan tossed it to Tugler, who executed perfectly and bounced it back to Uzan who was wide open for the winning layup that came with less than a second remaining.

On one last desperation play, Purdue threw it out to halfcourt and misfired from 45 feet to end the game.

Uzan, a transfer from Nevada, led the Cougars with 22 points and six assists. His production offset a poor shooting night by L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, who together combined for seven of 27 shooting from the field.

Forward J’Wan Roberts hauled in 12 rebounds to pace a strong attack on the glass for the Cougars, who out-boarded the Boilermakers 38-29, including 16-7 on the offensive glass.

The extra possessions allowed Houston to take 61 shots from the field and make 23 of them. Purdue was 21 for 52 afield. Uzan was on fire from the three-point line, making six of nine.

Fletcher Loyer led the Boilermakers with 16 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14.

Sweet 16 thriller: Texas Tech rallies to beat Arkansas in overtime

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Texas Tech Red Raiders rallied from a 16-point, second-half deficit to tie the game in regulation and then defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 85-83 in overtime Thursday night in the NCAA Sweet 16.

North Texas coach Grant McCasland. North Texas beat UTSA 59-48 on Thursday, March 3, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Grant McCasland, shown here coaching North Texas in a game at UTSA in 2022, has led the Texas Tech Red Raiders to within one victory of a trip to the Final Four – File photo by Joe Alexander

With the win, the third-seeded Red Raiders moved into the Elite Eight round of the tournament against the No. 1 Florida Gators in the West Regional.

Tech will play Florida on Saturday in San Francisco, with the winner earning a ticket to the Final Four in San Antonio next week. Florida advanced by beating fifth-seeded Maryland 87-71 earlier in the afternoon.

Freshman Christian Anderson scored 22 points, and Darrion Williams and J.T. Toppin added 20 each for the Red Raiders. Williams, from nearby Sacramento, hit a game-tying three at the end of regulation and then hit the game-winner with about seven seconds left in OT.

Johnell Davis led the Razorbacks with a season-high 30 points.

The 10th-seeded Razorbacks, led by veteran coach John Calipari, played well for about 30 minutes and appeared poised to pull off their third upset of the tournament. When Billy Richmond III hit a driving layup with 10:23 remaining, Arkansas held a 61-45 lead.

From there, the Grant McCasland-coached Red Raiders started to do the little things, getting loose balls and offensive rebounds and grinding their way back into the game. Pretty soon, they generated momentum and started raining three-point shots, and the momentum shifted.

Anderson knocked down three of the long distance shots in a three-minute sequence at the end of regulation, the first coming at the 4:21 mark and the third at 1:07 to make it a three-point game. With nine seconds left, Williams nailed a three from the right wing to tie the score at 72-72.

In the overtime, Williams was fouled with 2:23 remaining and buried two free throws, boosting Tech into a 79-78 lead. The Red Raiders would never trail again. In the final 1:41, Toppin knocked down two baskets, which were answered by buckets from Arkansas’ Trevon Brazile and D.J. Wagner.

Wagner’s layup tied the game 73-73 with 34 seconds remaining. At the end, Williams backed down a defender and hit a shot from close range with seven seconds left for the game winner.

Records

Arkansas 22-14
Texas Tech 28-8

Notable

Texas Tech has reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019, when the program made it to the Final Four and the championship game under former Coach Chris Beard. Last season, in McCasland’s first as coach, the Red Raiders made the tournament but were eliminated in the round of 64.

Quotable

“In the huddle, coach said, ‘We’re going to find a way to win this no matter how much we’re down.’ I think (we were down) 16 with 10 minutes left or something. As a team, we had that look. We’re not losing this game no matter what, no matter if it’s defensive, offensive rebounds. We’ve got to get defensive rebounds, steals. We had to find a way to make it happen. And at the end we did, so that was it.” – Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson