Category Archives: College basketball

Tim Carter says UTSA will be better than advertised

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Former UTSA coach Tim Carter is in his first season as a radio analyst on Roadrunners basketball.

The UTSA Roadrunners are set to open Conference USA play at home Thursday night against the Rice Owls. Former UTSA coach Tim Carter, in his first year as a radio analyst, answered a few questions for us Wednesday afternoon on the state of the team.

Last year UTSA finished 8-10 in the conference for ninth place in the C-USA. This year, in the preseason, they were picked ninth, same as last year. Based on what you’ve seen, can they be better than that? What do you think?

I would be shocked, and again, I have not seen the Conference USA teams. But I would be shocked if they didn’t do better. Mainly because last year they shot the ball so poorly from the perimeter, from what (radio voice) Andy (Everett) tells me. Now it’s just the opposite. They’ve got tremendous shooters on the perimeter.

I tell you, when you’ve got guys who can put that ball in the hole, it covers up a whole lot of ills, and they can really shoot the ball. So, I’ll be very surprised if they end up where they’re being predicted to finish.

If you’re looking at tape of UTSA right now, what are you telling your players. What do you think we’re going to see from Conference USA defenses?

You cannot allow (Jhivvan) Jackson or (Keaton) Wallace to get going. Period. If I were defending them, to be honest, at times, I thought a triangle and two would be something a team would try to run against ‘em. Especially with those two guys on the floor at the same time.

But the other side of it is, with those two guys on the floor at the same time, you got to face guard ‘em … they can’t touch the basketball. Because they can flat shoot (it).

If you can cut down on their touches … it’s going to really help. That’s what I would (think we’ll) see. People will try to decrease the touches for Wallace and Jackson. (But) it’s hard to do, because they run great half-court offense.

For fans in San Antonio who haven’t seen the team play this year, how would you describe the offense that coach Steve Henson runs?

It’s very entertaining. He gives guys a lot of freedom in the offense. I like watching them play. I’ve never been a guy, you know … I hated slow-down basketball. I think it’s boring. Fans don’t come out and watch it. If I’m to describe coach Henson’s style of play, I’d say it’s entertaining. He does a really good job coaching.

That’s something I’ve really been impressed with. They don’t get out of what they’re doing very often. Most teams get out of rhythm two or three times a game. They don’t do it very often. That’s a sign of not only having good character on the team, but it’s guys who listen to what their coaches want to get done.

Notes: Carter, a San Antonio resident, coached the Roadrunners for 11 seasons from 1995-2006. He was 160-152 in his UTSA career. Carter led the program to the NCAA tournament in 1999 and 2004.

Listen to the UTSA basketball broadcast Thursday night on The Ticket, AM 760. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

Sampson’s Houston Cougars have passed early tests

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The spotlight in NCAA Division I basketball always shines a little brighter this time of year when conference play commences. In the state of Texas, the TV cameras tend to follow the power programs at Texas A&M and Texas. But the competition also promises to be fierce among the schools outside the Big 12 and the SEC, as well. Here’s a breakdown on how 18 mid-majors in the state are faring leading into conference play:

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

University of Houston

Record: 10-2

RPI: 62

Top player: Guard Rob Gray (20.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday, at South Florida

The skinny: Coach Kelvin Sampson’s team has played well so far, knocking off power programs Wake Forest from the ACC and Arkansas from the SEC.

SMU

Record: 10-3

RPI: 67

Top player: Guard Shake Milton (17.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.8 apg)

Conference opener: Wednesday, at home, vs. Central Florida

The skinny: SMU probably isn’t as strong as last year’s 30-win team. But the Ponies have registered impressive victories over the Arizona Wildcats and the USC Trojans. The win over USC avenged a loss to the Trojans last spring in the NCAA tournament’s round of 64.

CONFERENCE USA

UTSA

Record: 7-6

RPI: 242

Top player: Guard Jhivvan Jackson (17 ppg, 41 pct., 3-pt shooting)

Conference opener: Thursday at home vs. Rice

The skinny: Offense averages 87.2 ppg, but can the Roadrunners rebound and play defense? Jackson, Keaton Wallace, Deon Lyle and Nick Allen all have been shooting the ball well lately. UTSA lost by four at Tulsa, by 12 at Oklahoma and by 10 at Nebraska. If UTSA wins 10 conference games, fans would be happy. NCAA chances? Probably a long shot.

Rice

Record: 3-10

RPI: 304

Top player: Guard Connor Cashaw (16.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday at UTSA.

The skinny: It’s a new season for the Rice Owls, who open conference play this week. But Rice is in a tailspin, on a three-game losing streak, and needs to turn things around quickly. Could be a long season for first-year head coach Scott Pera.

North Texas

Record: 7-6

RPI: 192

Top player: Guard Roosevelt Smart (17.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday at UTEP

The skinny: First-year coach Grant McCasland led his team to three straight wins, including two in overtime, before losing at Georgetown 75-63 last week. Lost by 10 recently at Oklahoma and by 19 at Nebraska. Middle of the pack finish in C-USA would be considered a success after last year’s 2-16 record.

UTEP

Record: 5-7

RPI: 273

Top player: Guard Keith Frazier (14.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday at home vs. North Texas

The skinny: Season took a bizarre turn on Nov. 28 when veteran coach Tim Floyd announced his retirement following a home loss to Lamar. Assistant Phil Johnson has moved up to interim head coach. Miners are 4-2 under Johnson. UTEP could make some noise in conference if healthy, but 7-foot center Matt Willms is battling a wrist injury.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE

Incarnate Word

Record: 5-5

RPI: 293

Top player: Forward Simi Socks (15 ppg, 51.5 pct FG, 5.5 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday, at McNeese State

The skinny: UIW has posted only a 1-5 record against Division I opponents. Turnovers have been a major problem lately in losses at UTEP and Florida. But the Cardinals have shot the ball much better than they did earlier at Houston and Gonzaga. Eligible to play in the Division I postseason for the first time, goal should be to finish top eight to qualify for SLC tournament.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Record: 3-7

RPI: 345

Top player: Guard Joseph Kilgore (16.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday, at Central Arkansas

The skinny: A&M-CC had a 24-12 record an reached the CIT tournament final a year ago. But this season has been a struggle, as the Islanders remained winless against Division I competition (0-7) with an 85-63 loss at Ole Miss last week. A&M-CC averages 66 ppg.

Stephen F. Austin

Record: 11-2

RPI: 61

Top player: Guard/forward Kevon Harris (19 ppg, 50 pct 3-pt shooting, 5.7 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday, at Southeastern Louisiana

The skinny: The Lumberjacks appear to be primed for an SLC title run. They have won close games at Louisiana Tech and at LSU, a power conference team in the SEC. They also lost by one point in SEC country at Missouri.

Lamar

Record: 8-5

RPI: 191

Top player: Forward Colton Weisbrod (15 ppg, 9 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday at home vs. Houston Baptist

The skinny: Coming off a 19-win season last year, the Cardinals raced to an 8-1 start before losing their last four. In their latest games, the Cards lost close ones in Las Vegas to UC Davis and North Carolina A&T. Lamar played well early in the season with wins against Tulsa, Coastal Carolina and UTEP. Veteran coach Tic Price is in his fourth full season at Lamar.

Abilene Christian

Record: 8-5

RPI: 208

Top player: Guard Jaren Lewis (13.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 spg)

Conference opener: Thursday at the University of New Orleans.

The skinny: Like the UIW Cardinals, the Wildcats can play in the SLC tournament this year for the first time after completing a four-year transition to NCAA Division I. ACU looked good recently, winning four in a row, including victories over Bowling Green, Air Force and Texas State. But they have since lost two of their past three. Losses have been on the road at Lipscomb and at nationally-ranked Texas Tech.

Sam Houston State

Record: 6-7

RPI: 266

Top player: Forward Christopher Galbreath, Jr. (15.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg)

Conference opener: Saturday night at Abilene Christian.

The skinny: Coach Jason Hooten has registered winning records in five of his seven seasons at Sam Houston. The Bearkats have won 89 games over the past four. So, nobody should count them out just yet. But they are struggling, having lost four of its last five coming into SLC play.

Houston Baptist

Record: 4-9

RPI: 284

Top player: Forward Josh Ibarra (16 ppg, 10 rpg)

Conference opener: Thursday at Lamar.

The skinny: Houston Baptist’s fortunes took an unfortunate turn in San Antonio when forward Josh Ibarra went down with an injury. He has been out three games since. For the Huskies to contend in the SLC, they will need Ibarra’s double-double presence on the floor.

SUN BELT CONFERENCE

UT Arlington

Record: 9-4

RPI: 82

Top player: Forward Kevin Hervey (23.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg)

Conference opener: Friday at Coastal Carolina

The skinny: Hervey, who ranks sixth in the nation in scoring, has lived up to billing as the preseason choice for Sun Belt player of the year. The Mavs should contend for the title and an NCAA berth. Posted non-conference wins vs. BYU, Rice and North Texas. Dropped close games at Alabama, Northern Iowa.

Texas State

Record: 7-6

RPI: 334

Top player: Guard Nijal Pearson (14.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.2 spg).

Conference opener: Friday at Appalachian State

The skinny: An up and down non-conference performance by the Bobcats raises questions about their viability as an NCAA contender. But don’t count out Coach Danny Kaspar, who knows how to get the best out of his team when it counts.

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Texas Southern

Record: 0-13

RPI: 164

Top player: Demontrae Jefferson (23.4 ppg, 3.4 apg)

Conference opener: Monday, at home, vs. Southern (La.)

The skinny: Despite being winless at this juncture in the season, coach Mike Davis’ Tigers should contend for the SWAC title and the conference’s NCAA automatic berth after playing a tough schedule, including road games at Gonzaga, Ohio State and Kansas.

Prairie View A&M

Record: 2-11

RPI: 167

Top player: Zachary Hamilton (18.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg)

Next game, conference opener: Friday at home vs. Jarvis Christian; conference opener Monday at home vs. Alcorn State

The skinny: Prairie View is expected to challenge Texas Southern in the SWAC after playing close on the road at New Mexico State, Hawaii, Tulsa and New Mexico.

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

UT Rio Grande Valley

Record: 6-8

RPI: 276

Top player: Guard Nick Dixon (20.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg)

Next games: Non-conference home games Saturday vs. Hampton and next Tuesday vs. Our Lady of the Lake, followed by WAC opener Jan. 6 at Missouri-Kansas City.

The skinny: With New Mexico State, Utah Valley and Cal State Bakersfield looking strong, coach Lew Hill’s team is a long-shot to win the WAC title.

TCU ranked 10th in latest AP basketball poll

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Coach Jamie Dixon (second from left) has led the TCU men’s basketball team to a 12-0 record. (Photo/Sharon Ellman )

Coach Jamie Dixon’s undefeated TCU Horned Frogs have moved up to No. 10 in the Associated Press college basketball poll.

It’s the highest ranking in school history for the Frogs, who improved to 12-0 with a victory at home last Friday over William & Mary.

The win was TCU’s 17th in a row dating to last season, when it closed out Dixon’s first year as coach of the Frogs with a run to the National Invitation Tournament title.

Before today, the highest TCU had ever been ranked was No. 13 on Feb. 23, 1998.

Villanova, Michigan State, Arizona State and Duke remained 1-4, respectively, as the new poll was released Monday.

Texas A&M, now 11-1, is fifth in the nation. The Aggies have won four straight since their only loss of the season on Dec. 5 at Arizona.

Xavier of Ohio is sixth and West Virginia seventh. West Virginia is the the highest ranked of six Big 12 teams in the Top 25.

The others are TCU and Kansas (11th), Oklahoma (12th), Baylor (18th) and Texas Tech (22nd).

Center Udoka Azubuike starts to assert himself for No. 14 Kansas

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When I saw the Kansas Jayhawks play earlier this season on television, I wondered why Udoka Azubuike wasn’t a bigger part of the offense.

Azubuike is 7 feet and 280 pounds. It seems like whatever he may be lacking in skills, he can easily make up for in size and brute force.

Stanford came face-to-face with this reality Thursday night.

In a game played in Sacramento, California, Azubuike dunked seven times en route to 24 points, leading the Jayhawks to an easy 75-54 victory.

Two months ago, Kansas beat Kentucky 65-61 in Chicago.

In that game, it was easy to see several NBA-caliber prospects running the wings on both teams.

But I noticed Azubuike, very agile, moving easily around the bucket.

Kansas gave him five shot opportunities, and he made all of them, including a monster alley-oop slam.

Against Stanford, the Jayhawks seemed to take notice of him more often, getting him 15 shots.

He made 12 of them.

I guess that’s just the way it is with the Jayhawks, a team that features a dynamic wing presence with Devonte’ Graham, Lagerald Vick and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.

If you’re an opposing coach, you hate it.

Some nights, the wing guys kill you with perimeter shooting.

Other nights, you have a freight train-type center dunking on your heads.

With the Jayhawks opening Big 12 play next Friday at Texas, I’d say that probably makes them more than capable of winning another title.

Is it really time to fear the Wofford Terriers?

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If you’re looking for a bracket-busting NCAA tournament team in March, keep an eye on the Wofford Terriers.

Wofford, based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, made headlines on Wednesday night by beating the 5th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 79-75.

A stunning victory? Well, in more than one way, it definitely was.

The Terriers came into Chapel Hill on an 0-22 skid against ranked opponents.

They have played in four NCAA tournaments since 2010 but have emerged from those spotlight experiences 0-4.

Still, it’s not like the Terriers have never had success.

In 2015, coach Mike Young’s team won 28 games and pulled down a No. 12 seed in its NCAA region.

Wofford nearly knocked off fifth-seeded Arkansas in the first round that year before falling by three (56-53) at Jacksonville, Florida.

This year, they have a phenomenon on their team. He goes by the name of Fletcher Magee.

Magee is a brazen scorer who came into the home of the defending NCAA champions averaging 24.1 points per game, second in the nation only to Oklahoma freshman Trae Young.

Against the Tar Heels, Magee scored 27, including 16 in the second half.

“Magee was not typical Fletcher (tonight),” Wofford coach Mike Young said. “His numbers have been staggering, and people are starting to
take notice. He missed a couple, one that was like a layup to him.

“(But) 27 points in this environment; Kenny Williams and Theo Pinson, those guys can guard you,” the coach said. “That kid (Magee)
makes you look pretty good (as a coach) sometimes.

“He just rises up and hits a shot. He certainly did that a
couple of times tonight.”

So, make a mental note. In a few months, if you’re looking for an underdog to pick among double-digit seeds in the tournament, look up the Terriers.

They might be ready to roar.

UTEP rallies at home for 72-66 victory over Incarnate Word

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UTEPs Omega Harris (No. 2) drives on Incarnate Word guard Jalin Hart.

The UTEP Miners forced mistakes with their defense and rallied in the second half Tuesday night for a 72-66 victory over the University of the Incarnate Word.

Playing in El Paso at the Haskins Center, the Cardinals performed well for most of the night and held a 49-43 lead when Sam Burmeister buried a three-pointer with 10:26 remaining.

But, at that point, guards Kobe Magee and Omega Harris hit consecutive baskets to kick-start a 10-1 run for the Miners.

A Harris jumper capped the streak and gave UTEP a 53-50 edge with 6:57 left.

Down the stretch, the Cardinals (5-4) went cold, failing to make a basket for a span of 4 minutes and 43 seconds.

The Miners (4-6) did just enough to hold on for their third win in a row under interim head coach Paul Johnson. Johnson is 3-1 after taking over for Tim Floyd, who has retired.

Forward Paul Thomas led short-handed UTEP with 16 points and eight rebounds. Harris scored 15. Both Harris and Magee contributed three steals.

Miners’ injured 7-foot-1 center Matt Willms did not play.

For the Cardinals, forward Simi Socks led with 21 points, his second straight game with 20 or more. Socks hit 3 of 4 from three-point territory.

Forward Shawn Johnson scored 14, and Christian Peevy came off the bench for 10. UIW hit 9 three-pointers for the game but made too many mistakes, turning it over 25 times.

UIW plays on the road again at Florida on Friday night before opening Southland Conference play next week.

The SLC schedule starts with a road trip to Louisiana and games at McNeese State and Nicholls State.

TCU improves to 11-0 with win over Texas Southern

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JD Miller scored 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting Monday night, helping undefeated and 15th-ranked TCU to break away in the second half for a 91-72 victory over winless Texas Southern.

Vladimir Brodziansky (in the photo, above) added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Frogs (11-0).

Guard Demontrae Jefferson poured in 29 for the Tigers (0-12) in the game played on TCU’s home floor in Fort Worth.

The Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference stayed with the Big 12 powerhouse for a half, trailing by only two at intermission.

Texas Southern traded baskets with the home team early in the second half before TCU constructed a 10-0 run to open up a 53-43 lead.

The Tigers never got closer than five the rest of the way, with the Frogs pushing the lead to 25 down the stretch.

TCU remains as one of four unbeaten teams in the nation, joining No. 1 Villanova, No. 3 Arizona State and No. 6 Miami.

The Horned Frogs will play Friday at home against William and Mary before opening Big 12 play Dec. 30 at home against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Texas 47, Tennessee State 46

The Texas Longhorns hit a clutch shot with 11 seconds remaining Monday night, escaping with a 47-46 victory over the Tennessee State Tigers.

Matt Coleman’s runner allowed Texas (8-3) to avert disaster against Tennessee State (5-5) of the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Tigers, on their last possession, missed a wild three with the clock running down.

With the victory, Texas improved to 2-1 since they lost leading scorer Andrew Jones to a wrist injury.

No. 14 Kansas 109, Omaha 64

Svi Mykhailiuk tied his career high with six 3-pointers and scored 26 points as Kansas routed Omaha 109-64 Monday night.

Mykhailiuk hit the winning shot in the Jayhawks’ 73-72 victory over Nebraska in Lincoln on Saturday night.

Kansas, who have won 13 Big 12 regular season titles in a row, had lost two straight leading into the Nebraska game.

They Jayhawks (9-2) will now take a two-game winning streak on the road to play Stanford in California on Thursday.

It’s the last non-conference game for Kansas before it opens Big 12 play on Dec. 29 at Texas.

1-2-3 in AP poll? Villanova, Michigan State, Arizona State

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Undefeated Villanova remained as the No. 1 team in the nation, according to the Week 7 release of the Associated Press college basketball poll.

Michigan State, unbeaten Arizona State and Duke were ranked second through fourth, respectively, with defending NCAA champion North Carolina coming in fifth after Sunday’s victory at Tennessee.

Undefeated Miami placed sixth, with Kentucky at No. 7 and Texas A&M in the eighth spot. It was Texas A&M’s fourth straight week in the top 10. Xavier of Ohio was ninth and West Virginia of the Big 12 was 10th.

Other Big 12 programs that made the top 25 included twice-beaten Kansas at No. 14, undefeated TCU (15), Oklahoma (17), Baylor (tied for 18th) and Texas Tech (21).

Villanova, the 2016 NCAA champions, kept the No. 1 spot for the second straight week based on a 20-point blowout of Temple.

Jalen Brunson scored 31 as the Wildcats (11-0) pounded Temple 87-67 last week in a battle of Philadelphia-based powers.

Michigan State also played only once last week, knocking off Oakland (Mich.) on Saturday in Detroit, 86-73.

The Spartans won despite 35 percent shooting in a game that they dominated on the boards (45-30).

Arizona State sold out Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday afternoon and played to the 10,797 fans with a 76-64 victory over Vanderbilt.

In a chaotic sequence of events last in the first half, Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley lost a championship ring from his days as a player at Duke, found it, and then led his team to victory.

Sports writer Doug Haller’s game story at azcentral.com is also a winner. Call it up by clicking the link in the following tweet.

Best in the nation? ‘Forever’ Trae Young states his case

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Oklahoma guard Trae Young just keeps stacking dominant performances, one on top of another.

You read about his exploits and you wonder if he can really be that good, and then he does it again.

After he led OU to a 91-83 victory at No. 3 Wichita State on Saturday, he stirred the discussion again.

Read a story by Taylor Eldridge in the Wichita Eagle for the latest on a player that is storming NCAA Division I basketball.

At the jbreplay.com, we will be singing the praises of “Forever” Trae Young, at least until someone figures out a way to stop him.

UTSA routs Bethany as offense continues to roll

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UTSA forward Nick Allen hits a three-pointer out of the corner in the second half Saturday night against Bethany College. Video: thejbreplay

UTSA guard Jhivvan Jackson told reporters Saturday night that coach Steve Henson delivered a mostly positive message in the dressing room after the Roadrunners scorched the NAIA Bethany College Swedes, 95-67.

“He said we played great, but we got to get better on the defensive end,” said Jackson, who led UTSA with 19 points. “Going into Nebraska, (we need to) have some good hard practices and play our best game.”

The Roadrunners (7-5) play at Nebraska on Wednesday night.

Thirteen UTSA players played against Bethany and 13 scored in Dan O’Dowd’s return to campus.

A former 10-year assistant with the Roadrunners, O’Dowd is the first-year head coach of the Swedes.

In spite of the lopsided score, O’Dowd took away a few positives from his first game back to the arena where he worked with former coach Brooks Thompson for a decade through 2016.

No. 1, the game didn’t count on his record.

No. 2, Bethany freshman point guard and former St. Anthony standout Isiah Saenz scored 21 points on seven three-pointers.

Saenz showed off a flashy game that included one-handed, no-look passes.

“He’s going to be good,” O’Dowd said.

Bethany point guard Isiah Saenz brings the ball up and drains a three-pointer. Video: thejbreplay.com