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These boys just LOVE each other!!!!
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With the Stanford upset, Louisville will slide into the No. 1 spot in the Top 25 poll. And they deserve it. I think. They really only played one good team and that was DePaul. And they hammered the Blue Demons.
North Carolina State is next in line barely ahead of UConn. Now, they did beat at the time Pre-season No. 1 South Carolina, 54-46 in a really ugly game. The rest of their schedule is just terrible. Their OOC schedule is one of the worst of the Top 25. Even worse than Baylors..lol.
Hey, none of this matters. It will all be decided on the court.
And after I wrote this, I saw on a UConn message board a Louisville fan acting like they won the national championship.
"Louisville is the best team in the nation!!!! Unfortunately you missed the chance to get the experience!!!!!"
"I have watched a ton of womens basketball and Louisville is easily the best team in the country at this point."
"Unfortunately when we beat DePaul by 41 it was the experience you were gonna get had you not chickened out!!!!! I am not predicting the point total just that you would have got your @ss kicked. Have Geno reach out to Jeff I am sure they could arrange something!!!!"
"Someone on UConns campus caught Covid and Geno saw that it was an opportunity to get out of taking a butt kicking that early in the season!!!"
Damn, this guy is an idiot. Looking forward to meeting in the tournament. Louisville has been UConn's bitch there for a long time.
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No. 10 Oregon at Arizona State - Postponed
No. 16 South Florida vs Memphis - Postponed
San Jose State joins Duke and Virginia in cancelling their season.
Baylor coach Kim Mulkey believes money will be the main reason the NCAA will continue playing basketball this season and hold its men’s and women’s tournaments amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“The answer is this: The season will continue on. It’s called the almighty dollar. The NCAA has to have the almighty dollar from the men’s tournament. The almighty dollar is more important than the health and welfare of me, the players or anybody else.”
COVID-19 has hit the Kentucky Women’s Basketball roster. 30 minutes before the No. 12 Wildcats scheduled tipoff against the Vanderbilt Commodores (4-3), three players were ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols while Rhyne Howard will sit out with an ankle injury, per UK. Robyn Benton, Jazmine Massengill, and Kameron Roach are the trio of Wildcats sitting out due to coronavirus restrictions while Howard is listed as day-to-day with her injury.
Cal has postponed its next four women’s basketball games because of the coronavirus. In a one-sentence statement Sunday morning, the university wrote: “Due to recent COVID-19 developments within our program, California's games against USC, UCLA, Washington and Washington State have been postponed."
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By David in Naples
Stanford had an lopsided victory over Utah last Friday by a score of 82-54. The game was not close and Stanford was winning 60-32 after 3 periods. Several stats caught my eye. First, Stanford took 36 three point shots versus only 30 non-three point shots. That is a lot of three point shots in a blowout victory. They missed 22 of those 36 shots for an accuracy rate of 38.9%. The starters only played 16-24 minutes each, so Stanford was not tryin to pad their stats, but.....consider one sub, Hannah Jump.
Jump played 25 minutes, took 10 threes and made 5 of them. She sees regular action and played in the 1st period. So what is the beef? She was jacking up threes with less than 2 minutes to play with plenty of time on the shot clock. Consider:
1. With 2:36 left in the game, Utah made a basket. Eight (8) seconds later, Jump made a three point shot.
2. With 1:51 left in the game, Stanford grabbed a defensive rebound. Six (6) seconds later Jump made another three, her 10th try.
The shot clock is 30 seconds. How about running it down a bit before padding your stats? By the way, Jump is 5th on the team in shots taken with 66. At least she has 10 assists so we know she is not related to AEH.
Go Huskies..!!
Jump played 25 minutes, took 10 threes and made 5 of them. She sees regular action and played in the 1st period. So what is the beef? She was jacking up threes with less than 2 minutes to play with plenty of time on the shot clock. Consider:
1. With 2:36 left in the game, Utah made a basket. Eight (8) seconds later, Jump made a three point shot.
2. With 1:51 left in the game, Stanford grabbed a defensive rebound. Six (6) seconds later Jump made another three, her 10th try.
The shot clock is 30 seconds. How about running it down a bit before padding your stats? By the way, Jump is 5th on the team in shots taken with 66. At least she has 10 assists so we know she is not related to AEH.
Go Huskies..!!
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Home winning streaks
If you watched the Iowa game against Ohio State, which Iowa lost in overtime, you probably heard the announcers go on and on about Iowa having the second longest winning streak in the country, 42 games at that time. That obviously ended. Three days later, Baylor, holder of the nation's longest home winning streak at 61 games, lost that crown and the game to Iowa State.
Inquiring minds may be wondering who now sits in the catbird seat.
The answer is Gonzaga, with a 20 game home winning streak. They have lost twice but their opening loss to South Carolina was on a neutral court. I knew they had played in an early-season tournament but I had no idea that the name of the tournament was the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic. Be honest, how many people knew that?
Gonzaga is sitting pretty; they are favored to win every one of their remaining games. They have a modest challenge at BYU in February where they are only a 68% favorite to win the game, but a loss there doesn't end a home winning streak. Their toughest remaining home challenge is BYU this coming Saturday where they have an 84% chance of winning the game.
Actually, saying that the answer is Gonzaga is a little misleading. Yes, the longest current home winning streak is 20 games and Gonzaga holds that distinction, but Stephen F. Austin also is sitting on a 20 game home winning streak.
Both of them have a game scheduled for Saturday, but SFA is playing Lamar where they have a 97% chance of winning.
SFA's following game is on January 30, while Gonzaga's second home game is February 11, so if they both win, SFA will be the holder of the nation's longest winning streak by themselves for a few days.
Both teams have six home games on the remaining schedule (although we know that can change any minute) and both teams are favored to win every one of the remaining games, so the season could end with both teams tied for the nation's home winning streak.
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No. 1 Stanford 72 Colorado 75 OT - Well, ain't that a kick in the head? Unranked Colorado beat No. 1 Stanford. Let me repeat. The Buffaloes beat the Cardinal. Colorado was 5-6 coming into this game and 3-5 in the PAC12. This one is really hard to believe and certainly makes it look like Stanford is not all that. Stanford started the game on an 8-0 run and Colorado close it to 17-14. They held Stanford scoreless the last 3 minutes of the quarter. It was a harbinger of things to come. In an almost mirror image of the first quarter, the Buffaloes outscored Stanford 7-3 to end the half still only down 3 points 32-29. The second half was a lot of back and forth with Stanford taking an early 4 point lead in the game at the 5:41 mark of the quarter but Colorado stayed tough, scoring the next 8 points to take a 3 point lead. Stanford quickly tied it and the lead went back and forth for most of the rest of the game. Jaylyn Sherrod made a layup with 23 seconds left in the game and Stanford's Haley Jones had her shot blocked at the buzzer and off to OT they went.
I expected Stanford to do what every top team does against a bad opponent when they are lucky enough to take the better team to overtime. But Colorado was the more composed team. They didn't lose their cool when Stanford took a 70-69 lead with 2 minutes left. They came back with a big three pointer late in the 30 second clock for the 72-70 lead. Stanford missed the next time down and had to foul. Frida Formann hit two big free throws for the two possession 4 point lead. It was just too much for Stanford to overcome. They did have a shot to tie at the buzzer but Peanut Tuitele blocked Hull's shot, and Colorado hit two free throws with no time left for the final 77-72 margin.
Mya Hollingshed led Colorado with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. This is not your usual Stanford team. They don't shoot well, and they usually have an excellent assist/turnover ratio. Not in this game. They shot 42% from the field and 26% on threes. And they had 15 turnovers and only 12 assists. Wow. It's been an interesting season. No doubt this was the biggest upset so far.
No. 2 Louisville 84 Florida State 56 - Louisville will be No. 1 in the next poll after beatin Florida State. They were led by Kianna Smith with 16 points. Louisville used a hot-shooting second quarter to create separation from the visitors. Connecting on 71 percent from the floor during the frame, including 4-of-5 three-pointers, UofL outscored the Seminoles by a dozen to hold a 43-31 advantage at the break.
Hailey Van Lith added 15 points, with Oliva Cochran scoring 14. Elizabeth Dixon recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Dana Evans scored 12 points and had eight assists. Nice win and they deserve the No. 1 sport. Another team I wish UConn had played!!
No. 7 Texas A&M vs No. 14 Mississippi - I had to shut it off. Maybe the worst first quarter of basketball I have ever seen by two Top 25 teams. The Aggies were bad enough. 5-18 from the field, 0-3 on threes, 3 turnovers. but Mississippi State? Horrific. They were 1-13 from the field, 1-6 on threes, 5 turnovers, 0 assists and 3 points. Fortunately for them Texas A&M scored only 14. The second half was slightly better with Mississippi State wining those 10 minutes 16-12. Both teams shot a little better but with a half time score of 26-19, well, are these really two of the best teams in the SEC? Now, Texas A&M had a pretty good third quarter with 24 points. The Bulldogs still struggled with only 12 points. And it was 50-31 after three quarters. I won't bore you with details but Mississippi State exploded in the final quarter for 10 points. And the final score was 69-41. More details...yes, you guessed it, in my UGGY Award!
No. 8 UCLA 68 No. 25 Washington State 66 OT - Washington State had a shot to stay in the Top 25 with a win in this game after losing their last game, but it was not to be. They were down 13 points coming into the fourth quarter and outscore the Bruins 18-5 in the quarter to tie the game and send it into overtime. UCLA did what the better team does in this kind of game. They took the lead and then put it away at the foul line. The last basket by WSU with 2 second remaining made no difference. Charisma Osborn led the Bruins with 28 points and Michaela Onyenwere had a double double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
No. 9 Maryland 79 Wisconsin 70 - Maryland pulled away in the second half for a 79-70 win over Wisconsin, their 10th straight victory and 24th in a row in Big Ten Conference play. The Terps led 39-35 at halftime after shooting just 34% from the field and 29% from 3-point range. The defense took charge in the second half, limiting the Badgers to 11 points in the third quarter as Maryland extended its lead. The Terps held Wisconsin to zero points the last three and a half minutes of the quarter. Chloe Bibby and Diamond Miller led the Terps with 17 points apiece. Bibby scored 16 points before halftime on 6-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Ashley Owusu had 14 points, Mimi Collins chipped in 13 and Katie Benzan added 12 as five Terps finished in double figures.
No. 11 Arizona 67 Oregon State 51 - Oregon State couldn’t overcome a 29-day hiatus or No. 11 Arizona, as the Wildcats hit 10 three-pointers to take out the Beavers. OSU played its first game in nearly a month after the program was paused due to a COVID-19 outbreak following a loss at Washington State on Dec. 19. The Beavers burst to a nine-point lead four minutes into Sunday’s game, but Arizona’s defense and perimeter shooting eventually took over. The Wildcats forced 19 turnovers and limited OSU to 37 percent shooting. Arizona shot 10 of 19 from behind the arc, as Helena Pueyo and Aari McDonald made four each. Savannah Samuel and Taylor Jones scored 11 points each to lead the Beavers. McDonald topped Arizona with 20 points.
No. 12 Kentucky vs Vanderbilt - In a true battle of attrition, the 12th-ranked University of Kentucky women’s basketball team prevailed on Sunday. Blair Green scored a career-high 22 points, including a huge three-pointer late, as the short-handed Wildcats held off Vanderbilt. About 30 minutes before tipoff against the Commodores, UK announced that Rhyne Howard was sidelined with an ankle injury and is considered day-to-day, and that reserves Robyn Benton, Jazmine Massengill, Erin Toller and Kameron Roach were out because of COVID-19 protocols.Vanderbilt faced its own roster troubles Sunday. The Commodores had just seven players available because of injuries and COVID issues.Vanderbilt rallied from a 16-point second-quarter deficit and led much of the second half. Late in the fourth quarter, Green nailed her fourth three-pointer to pull the Cats ahead 70-69, and they never relinquished the lead.
No. 21 Texas 66 Texas Tech 74 - Texas dropped a road contest to Texas Tech, dropping the Longhorns to 9-3 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play this season. Junior forward/center Charli Collier notched her eighth double-double of the season – tied for the fourth most in Division I – by scoring 13 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. She also made 9-of-13 free throws, the eighth time this season she has made at least six free throws in a game. Celeste Taylor was Texas' leading scorer, tallying 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting. Eight of Taylor's points game in the first quarter. She also notched two steals against the Lady Raiders, the sixth time this year she's recorded multiple steals in a game.
No. 22 Northwestern 67 Penn State 50 - Veronica Burton scored 19 points and had five steals as the 22nd-ranked Northwestern Wildcats defeated Penn State. Burton was among three Wildcats to score in double figures as Linsey Pulliam added 17 and Sydney Wood 13. Pulliam also pulled down eight rebounds and had four assists with three steals. Wood added seven boards and three steals. The absence of Penn State's leading scorer Kelly Jekot (15.9 ppg) was immediately apparent as the Lady Lions made three of seven shots in the first quarter and were 5-for-21 shooting by halftime, when they trailed 32-18. Jekot, a senior guard, suffered an injury in practice during the week and is out for the season.
No. 23 Tennessee 82 Alabama 56 - Well, the Lady Vols should be confident coming into the game at home against UConn on Thursday night. They just dismantled the Crimson Tide. Alabama was coming off a big win against No. 14 Mississippi State. I guess after watching MSU today I should not have been so impressed with Alabama and expect more from them. Tennessee and Alabama were tied after the first quarter and then if you blinked, it was over. Rennia Davis had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Tennessee and their big girl in the middle looks to be figuring it out. Key had 15 points and 7 rebounds.
No. 24 Syracuse 99 Miami 64 - Freshman Priscilla Williams had a perfect shooting day for a season-high 26 points, Tiana Mangakahia had her 25th double-double. It was the first game in 28 days for the Orange because of coronavirus issues and the first of four in eight days, but the layoff didn't hurt as they shot 17 of 30 behind the 3-point arc and 63% overall, their best shooting day ever in the Carrier Dome. Mangakahia, who missed last season because of breast cancer, had her first double-double in points (10) and assists (10) in 1,030 days. Kamilla Cardoso had 15 points and eight rebounds. See Baylor? Don't use time off as an excuse. Nice job by Syracuse!
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Is there any doubt who won the latest UGGY??
Yes, none other than the quickly dropping Mississippi State Bulldogs. The supposed top 3 in the SEC and a Top 25 team. Well, they started the week at No. 14 and then proceeded to lose to unranked Alabama at home and then this horror show against Texas A&M. Now for some details.
For the game, MSST was 15-56 (26.8%) from the field, 5-20 (20%) on threes, 6-12 (50%) on free throws and 17 turnovers and only 9 assists.
Now, I've seen worse stats. But rarely from a former No. 14 team. I say former because like I said they lost two games this week. They deserve to be out of the Top 25 but I expect with so many other upsets this week, they will only drop around 6 spots to No. 20.
Congrats Bulldogs. Missing Vic yet??
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