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Tulane basketball rebounding under Mike Dunleavy

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Mike Dunleavy played on the first Spurs basketball team I ever covered.

He came off the bench in the 1982-83 season, when the Silver and Black won 53 games and advanced to the NBA’s Western Conference finals.

In the wake of his playing career, Dunleavy became an NBA head coach for more than 20 years, working for four franchises, notably the Los Angeles Lakers.

Last year, he surprised some by taking a job at Tulane of the American Athletic Conference.

Tulane won six games last season in a difficult first year in New Orleans, but the Green Wave have since started to raise some eyebrows.

Thursday night, they knocked off the SMU Mustangs, 73-70.

People took notice because SMU was a 30-win, NCAA team from last year, and it’s a good bet that the Mustangs will play in the national tournament again this year.

Here’s a story from the New Orleans Advocate on the victory.

I haven’t checked all 351 NCAA Division I programs, but I do know that Dunleavy is one of at least four former Spurs players coaching at that level.

The others, that I know of, are Avery Johnson at Alabama, Larry Krystkowiak at Utah and Johnny Dawkins at UCF.

Texas Tech makes history with first victory at Kansas

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The Texas Tech Red Raiders guarded the three-point line effectively and came away with an impressive 85-73 Big 12 road victory at Kansas Tuesday night.

It was the first win by the Red Raiders at historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse in 18 tries, the Associated Press reported.

A good argument can be made that the Red Raiders won the game with their perimeter defense.

Kansas hit 17 of 35 three-point shots in a 92-86 win at Texas on Friday night.

Texas Tech didn’t allow the defending conference champions to shoot like that two games in a row, limiting the Jayhawks to 6 of 26 from long distance .

As a result, the 18th-ranked Red Raiders improved to 13-1 overall and 2-0 in conference under second-year coach Chris Beard.

The 10th-ranked Jayhawks, under veteran coach Bill Self, fell to 11-3 and 1-1.

“It’s impossible to stop ’em,” Beard said. “You just try to contain ’em, and you try to contest shots.

“Like, the way they shot the ball in Austin the other night, they’re not going to get beat, cause Texas did a good job contesting most of ’em. They’ll play on the final Monday (of the NCAA tournament, if they shoot well).

“You got to be fortunate and tonight, we were. They got some good looks. We made some mistakes on switches. So we were fortunate tonight. But you got to give our guys credit. I did feel like there was a sense of urgency to guard the three-point line.”

Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham led all scorers with 27 points, but he didn’t have much help.

In contrast, ten players played for the Red Raiders and nine of them scored.

Senior Keenan Evans led Texas Tech with 15 points. Justin Gray, Norense Odiase and Jarrett Culver added 12 apiece. Zhaire Smith scored 11.

TCU escapes with 81-78 victory at Baylor in overtime

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Forward Vladimir Brodziansky hit the go-ahead basket with 90 seconds remaining Tuesday night, and the 16th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs went on to beat the Baylor Bears 81-78 in overtime.

With the win on Baylor’s home floor in Waco, the Frogs improved to 13-1 overall and to 1-1 in the Big 12. The Bears fell to 10-4 and 0-2.

Brodziansky, a 6-11 senior from Slovakia, led five TCU players in double-digit scoring with 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting. Sophomore guard Jaylen Fisher added 15 points and four assists.

Junior forward J.D. Miller had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Horned Frogs, who bounced back from Saturday’s one-point home loss to Oklahoma.

Center Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. led the Bears with 28 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bears trailed by 12 early in the second half and came back to tie it 74-74 at the end of regulation.

Down by two in overtime, TCU called on Brodziansky, whose three-pointer with 1:30 remaining lifted the Frogs into a 75-74 lead. TCU never trailed again.

Longhorns grind out a 74-70 win in OT at Iowa State

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Forward Dylan Osetkowski scored a career-high 25 points Monday as Texas subdued the Iowa State Cyclones, 74-70, in overtime at Ames, Iowa.

With the scored tied, Osetkowski hit a three-pointer, lifting the Longhorns into a 70-67 lead with 36 seconds left in OT.

From there, 6-foot-11 UT center Mo Bamba contributed on the defensive end with a blocked shot.

Bamba’s play was the beginning of the end for the Cyclones (9-4, 0-2 in the Big 12).

The Longhorns (10-4, 1-1) made it a five-point game when when Matt Coleman knocked down the first two of his four straight free throws in the final 12 seconds.

After Coleman’s first two freebies, Nick Weiler-Babb gave Iowa State a glimmer of hope in front of the home fans when he hit a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining, cutting the UT lead to 72-70.

But Coleman answered again with two more free throws to account for the final points.

Texas returns home to face the Baylor Bears on Saturday.

West Virginia wins again

The West Virginia Mountaineers entered play Monday ranked sixth nationally in the Associated Press poll and then backed it up with their 13th win in a row, a 77-69 road victory at Kansas State.

Smart scores 22, North Texas holds on to beat UTSA, 72-71

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The North Texas Mean Green, leading by eight points with seven minutes remaining, made just enough defensive plays to hold on for a dramatic, 72-71 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners Saturday night.

Playing at home in the Convocation Center, UTSA had a couple of chances to take the lead in the last 12 seconds but came up empty on two possessions.

First, North Texas center Shane Temara, shown in the video above, blocked a shot by UTSA’s Byron Frohnen.

On the other end, the Mean Green missed a free throw, which gave UTSA one last opportunity.

Roadrunners point guard Giovanni De Nicolao rushed it up court on the left side, angled to his right and stretched out to attempt a sweeping layup, which skipped off the front of the rim.

Nick Allen had a chance to follow it, but his tap was too strong, and it went over the goal.

The buzzer sounded as the teams battled for possession under the basket (see video below).

Guard Roosevelt Smart led North Texas with 22 points. Ryan Woolridge scored 18 points and A.J. Lawson added 14.

The victory gave North Texas (9-6, 2-0) a sweep of two road games — both victories by one point — to start the Conference USA phase of its schedule.

The Mean Green also dealt the Roadrunners (8-7, 1-1) their first loss at home this year after 6-0 start.

Freshmen guards Keaton Wallace and Jhivvan Jackson scored 17 points apiece for UTSA.

“We had a bad stretch to start the second half,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “Down the stretch, we did some things right, to give ourselves a chance after being down.

“Came out of a couple of timeouts with the right mindset defensively and offensively. Cut into that lead. Got a steal. Got a run out.

“Just didn’t seal it.

“(We) told our guys, ‘That’s the way conference games go. You know, the teams that finish in the top two or three spots find a way to win all those games. The teams that finish at the bottom lose all those games.”

The details

With UTSA playing well and gaining momentum at the outset, North Texas put a stop to it, getting back into the game in the closing minutes of the first half.

The Mean Green continued to battle through the first 13 minutes after intermission. Three times in that span, the visitors opened leads of eight points.

The Roadrunners rallied with a 12-4 run to tie the game, 70-70. In retaliation, the Mean Green called on A.J. Lawson to hit a jumper for what would be the deciding basket with 1:02 remaining.

Jhivvan Jackson hit a free throw for UTSA to pull the Roadrunners to within one, but the Roadrunners would be denied on their final two possessions.

Once, Temara got the block against Frohnen. On the last play, UTSA’s Giovanni De Nicolao drove and missed a contested layup.

A tip by Nick Allen was long as the buzzer sounded.

First half highlights

Freshman Keaton Wallace led the UTSA offense in the first half.

Playing in front of the home fans, the 6-foot-3 lefty scored 11 points and hit three 3-point shots before intermission.

The Roadrunners held the Mean Green to 35 percent shooting and, at one time, led 38-25.

Leading by 13 points with 4:41 left, UTSA suffered a defensive letdown.

North Texas closed with a 9-3 run, including this buzzer-beating, bank shot by Smart over Kendell Ramlal.

Second half

The Mean Green continued to play well after halftime. UTSA would make a run on the visiting team, but North Texas would counter with a run of its own.

In the video above, freshman center Zachary Simmons dunks in front of his appreciative teammates on the Mean Green bench.

The play, set up by a Simmons steal on the other end, gave North Texas an eight-point lead (64-56) with 9:16 remaining.

UTSA made some plays down the stretch. Just not enough. In the video above, De Nicolao misses a shot on a drive but Austin Karrer is trailing the play, cleaning up with a stick-back.

Young scores 39 as OU beats TCU 90-89 in Fort Worth

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Amazing game in Fort Worth today. Oklahoma scored the first 11 points. TCU rebounded with authority, surging into what became a 13-point lead with 10 minutes left. But the Sooners rallied and knocked off the previously undefeated Frogs, 90-89, in the Big 12 opener for both teams. OU freshman Trae Young produced 39 points and 14 assists.

Kansas hits 17 threes en route to 92-86 victory over Texas

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The 11th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks buried 17 three-point shots and then held off Texas in the final minutes Friday night, beating the Longhorns 92-86 in Austin.

In the Big 12 opener for both teams, Kansas came out firing from long distance, making six threes in the first half and 11 after intermission.

Guard Devonte’ Graham scored 23 points for the Jayhawks, who are trying to win their 14th straight conference title.

He hit 6 three-pointers (in 12 attempts). Meanwhile, Lagerald Vick scored 21 points and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk added 20.

Both Vick and Mykhailiuk knocked downn 5 three-pointers.

Texas freshman forward Mo Bamba enjoyed the best game of his career as he finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots.

Longhorns guard Andrew Jones scored five points off the bench in his return after sitting out four games with a hairline wrist fracture.

McNeese State routs Incarnate Word in SLC opener

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Junior forward Quatarrius Wilson produced 20 points and 10 rebounds Thursday night for his third-straight double double, leading the McNeese State Cowboys to an easy victory over the University of the Incarnate Word, 85-62.

Playing at home in Lake Charles, La., the Cowboys (4-7) poured in 44 points in the first half and led by 18 at intermmission.

The Cardinals (5-6) retaliated with a run early in the second half, pulling to within 13 when freshman Christian Peevy completed a three-point play with 12:46 remaining.

But UIW couldn’t sustain the momentum and allowed McNeese to take charge again, hiking the spread to as many as 29 points down the stretch.

UIW will try to break out of a three-game losing streak when it plays the back end of a two-game SLC road trip Saturday afternoon at Nicholls State.

On a night when starters for the Cardinals struggled to score, Peevy scored 18 and Sam Burmeister added 10 to lead the bench. Starting forward Charles Brown III scored 11 but was held to 5 of 14 shooting.

Forward Simi Socks, the team’s leading scorer, did not make a field goal (0-for-3). He finished with two points.

McNeese’s defense held UIW to a season-low 32.3 percent shooting from the field. The Cardinals hit only 4 of 22 on 3-point attempts.

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).