Tag: big 12 basketball

Iowa State basketball demands respect after win over Houston

The Iowa State Cyclones are now 12-3 on the season with a huge win over Houston on Tuesday, and it is time for college basketball fans to take notice.

Four games into the 2023-24 college basketball season the Iowa State Cyclones were not only 4-0, they had posted margins of victory of 41 points, 55 points, 31 points, and 55 points.

Sure the opponents weren’t exactly college basketball blue bloods – Green Bay, Lindenwood, Idaho State, and Grambling – but computer services like Torvik and KenPom who factor in the margin of victory were giving a lot of love to coach T.J. Otzelberger’s squad.

A four-point win over VCU was then followed by a pair of losses to Virginia Tech and then No. 12 Texas A&M, and even though they rattled off six straight victories after that – including blowouts over DePaul and Iowa – the Cyclones didn’t sniff the Top 25 and were generally cast aside as another good but not great team in a Big 12 conference full of them.

But now, after beating the only undefeated team left in college basketball on Tuesday, the Houston Cougars, this Iowa State team is finally stepping up when needed to truly demand respect across the country.

The Cyclones held Houston to 53 points on just 38% shooting from the field, and while the team’s offense wasn’t much better they converted at the free throw line (18-22) and did enough to withstand a comeback attempt and take down the Coogs – who were playing just their second ever conference game in the Big 12.

Iowa State is now up to No. 11 in the NET rankings, boasting a 12-3 overall record. They are a combined 3-3 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games and 9-0 in Quad 4 contests, which doesn’t do them a ton of favors, but plenty of opportunities remain to pick up quality victories in conference play like they did on Tuesday evening.

“We’re a young team, we’re learning every game,” star sophomore guard Tamin Lipsey said after the game. “But we’re going to come out and fight every game no matter who we’re playing, no matter where we’re playing. Just don’t doubt us.”

The computers have loved Iowa State all season long, and after Tuesday’s big win – it might be time college basketball fans and analysts take notice.

Max Abmas’ game-winner gives No. 25 Texas the victory over Cincinnati

Dylan Disu dropped a career-high 33 points and Max Abmas put the nail in the coffin with his game winning shot.

No. 25 Texas got a much-needed victory over Cincinnati on Tuesday. Continue reading “Max Abmas’ game-winner gives No. 25 Texas the victory over Cincinnati”

No. 25 Texas travels to Cincinnati for second Big 12 game of the year

Cincinnati has won four of their last five games.

The Longhorns suffered a significant loss on Saturday against Texas Tech. However, Texas has a chance to recover on Tuesday. The game against the Red Raiders marked only the second time Texas lost at home in the Moody Center, with a final score of 78-67 in the Big 12 opener.

Texas will now travel to Cincinnati to get back on the right track, playing the Bearcats for the first time in conference play. Cincinnati, although not ranked, has won four of their last five games and is 12-2 on the season.

The Bearcats have three players averaging over 10 points per game: Vicktor Lakhin, Dan Skillings, and Day Day Thomas. Lakhin also averages 8.4 rebounds per game and shoots 53.7% from the field.

Texas will need to forget about Saturday’s loss and focus on the long road ahead, especially while playing in the best basketball conference in the country.

‘I’m liking the crowd right now,’: Sooners’ players recognizing the fans impact

It hasn’t always been the case but Sooner Nation was out in full support for the opening Big 12 game and the players took notice.

The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team opened conference play with a win over the Iowa State Cyclones. The Cyclones came into the game sitting at 11-2 on the year.

The Sooners led for just about the whole game, only losing the lead twice briefly late in the game. After losing the lead the final time with 4:10 left, the Sooners went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead and never looked back.

The Sooners shot 47.1% from the field and 40% from three in the game. [autotag]Milos Uzan[/autotag] scored 12 points on 5 of 9 from the field. The Sooners also got a great boost from the crowd.

It was a packed house at the Lloyd Noble Center which hasn’t always been the case in years past. It’s been a criticism of Oklahoma’s basketball program.

Uzan spoke after the game about how much the crowd meant to them on that 7-0 run and closing out the game. “I’m liking the crowd right now,” Uzan said. “I’m thinking the more we keep winning, the more they’ll show up. I like this.”

The Sooners now head on the road for the next two games. They head to TCU to take on the Horned Frogs on Wednesday night and then to Kansas to take on the Jayhawks on Saturday afternoon.

But this team has earned the crowd’s participation when they return home and for the rest of the season. They’ve been playing a really good brand of basketball and will need the crowd’s support the rest of the way.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Houston is now the last undefeated team in college basketball

The Houston Cougars demolished West Virginia on Saturday, and losses by James Madison and Ole Miss mean they are the last undefeated team in college basketball.

On Saturday morning three undefeated teams remained in college basketball: the Houston Cougars, James Madison Dukes, and Ole Miss Rebels.

By the evening the list had been trimmed to one, with James Madison suffering a surprising loss on the road to Southern Miss, while Ole Miss was boat raced by Tennessee to open up conference play.

That leaves Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars, who crushed West Virginia in their first ever Big 12 game, 89-55, to move to 14-0 on the year.

Houston has been a top-6 team in the coaches poll all year long, and is currently ranked third, but skeptics have pointed to their relatively weak strength of schedule as a knock on the program.

While the Mountaineers are probably the weakest team in the Big 12, Houston’s dominance in this game was evident from the opening tip, as they jumped out to a 48-22 halftime lead and never faltered.

The Cougars shot 50% (9-18) from three, outrebounded West Virginia by six, had only five turnovers, and held Josh Eilert’s team to 32.1% shooting from the field and 17.4% (4-23) from distance.

Houston will likely remain behind Purdue and Kansas in the polls next week, but will have a huge opportunity to prove they are no fluke with road battles at Iowa State on Tuesday and at TCU on Saturday.

Texas Tech runs away from Texas basketball in Austin, 78-67

Texas Tech stuns Texas on the court defeating the Longhorns by double digits.

It’s basketball season in Austin. The Texas Longhorns opened Big 12 conference play with a 78-67 loss to Texas Tech.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders ran away with the game behind a high scoring performance from Pop Isaacs. The Texas Tech guard put up 21 points behind a 3-for-5 three-point shooting night and 7-for-15 performance from the field.

Texas is facing the harsh reality of a poor transfer portal haul following the exit of several key players in the offseason. We were critical of the lack of movement by the team in the way of portal additions, and the lack of contributing Longhorns proved evident on Saturday. 54 of the team’s 67 points came from Texas guards Tyrese Hunter and Max Abmas and forward Dillon Mitchell.

The loss drops Texas to 11-3. The team certainly could have gotten off to a worse start, but has lost to perhaps every quality opponent it has faced this season. It isn’t the start we would have hoped to see from the team through 14 games.

Texas Tech, who went an abysmal 16-16 last season, proved to be the better team by a wide margin on Texas’ home floor. Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry has plenty to work on if this team is to make another NCAA Tournament run.

Texas resumes play on the road against Cincinnati on Tuesday night.

Previewing the Big 12 Opener: No. 20 Texas hosts Texas Tech

The final Big 12 opener for Texas will have Texas Tech traveling to the Moody Center.

The Big 12 opener for No. 20 Texas will tip-off on Saturday as the Longhorns host the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Moody Center. Continue reading “Previewing the Big 12 Opener: No. 20 Texas hosts Texas Tech”

Don’t look now, but West Virginia basketball could be back in business

West Virginia basketball has had a rough calendar year, but the future looks bright with Kerr Kriisa and Raequan Battle back in the mix.

You’d be hard pressed to find a college program that was dealt a more difficult hand this past year than the West Virginia men’s basketball team.

The Mountaineers began the offseason landing a handful of highly regarded players in the transfer portal, including Syracuse big man Jesse Edwards, Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa, and Montana State’s Raequan Battle.

That trio of newcomers, along with the expected return of Jose Perez after sitting out because of eligibility issues, put Bob Huggins’ team in a good spot to compete in the vaunted Big 12 conference in 2023-24.

However, Huggins was terminated from West Virginia after a pair of incidents, including his second DUI arrest, and the result was a significant chunk of talented players leaving the program and transferring elsewhere.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the team was then dealt a tough hand with Kriisa getting hit with a 10-game suspension for an impermissible benefit from his time at Arizona, while Battle and fellow transfer Noah Farrakhan were deemed ineligible as two-time transfers.

Jose Perez then left the program just before the season began due to a dispute over academics, leaving the Mountaineers with a shell of a roster through the first 11 games of the season – where they went 4-7 including losses to Monmouth, UMass, and Radford.

Interim head coach Josh Eilert and this ragtag group of players looked destined to get crushed on a weekly basis in the Big 12, but the pendulum has finally started to swing back in West Virginia’s direction.

The return of Kriisa from his suspension kicked things off, and the recent ruling allowing all two-time transfers to immediately suit up gives the Mountaineers both Battle and Farrakhan for the rest of the season, and the trio combined to score 53 of WVU’s 91 points in a win over Toledo just before Christmas.

Sure Toledo isn’t a powerhouse opponent, and yes the team is without Edwards for a couple more weeks after he suffered a wrist injury, but it’s hard not to be cautiously optimistic about this team now that they are approaching full health.

Battle in particular is a huge piece to get back into the mix, as the 6’5 senior guard dropped 29 points with six rebounds against Radford on December 20 and then had exactly 29 again three days later in the win over Toledo.

Battle averaged nearly 18 per game last season at Montana State and his scoring ability will be a welcome addition to this team, along with Kriisa’s high-level facilitation skills, which has resulted in 23 assists in just three games – already the third most on the team.

The Mountaineers will play Ohio State on Saturday before getting into conference play the first weekend in January, and while they will certainly have their hands full with the Kansas, Houston, and Baylor’s of the world –  they are at least in a better position to compete with a trio of guards back in the fold.

Jesse Edwards out 4 weeks as West Virginia’s streak of bad luck continues

West Virginia center Jesse Edwards is out four weeks after suffering a fractured wrist, another huge blow to an unlucky Mountaineers program.

The West Virginia basketball program cannot catch a break.

A tumultuous offseason, thanks to the firing of longtime head coach Bob Huggins, resulted in the Mountaineers coming into the season with a new-look roster and a lot to prove.

However, before the season even began, expected starting point guard Kerr Kriisa was hit with a nine-game suspension for impermissible benefits received while at Arizona, combo guard Jose Perez left the program due to squabbles over academic issues, and newcomers Raequan Battle and Noah Farrakhan were not granted waivers as two-time transfers.

Now Kriisa is finally back, dropping 20 points with seven assists against UMass on Saturday, while Farrakhan returned and scored 15 off the bench, thanks to the temporary restraining order that granted all two-time transfers immediate eligibility.

Even though the Mountaineers lost to UMass, it finally looked like things were moving in the right direction – until the team announced on Monday that starting center Jesse Edwards suffered a fractured wrist and will be out for roughly four weeks.

Edwards has been one of the few bright spots for West Virginia this season, averaging 14.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 10 games.

The former Syracuse grad transfer is among the most prolific shot blockers in the country and to not have him entering Big 12 conference play is a huge blow to a team that finally gained key pieces in the backcourt in Kriisa and Farrakhan, with Battle expected to return this week as well.

Interim head coach Josh Eilert will now have to find a solution to a thin frontcourt, with games against Radford (12/20) and Toledo (12/23) on deck before hosting Ohio State on 12/30 and then starting Big 12 play on the road at Houston on January 6.

Cincinnati transfer Aziz Bandaogo eligible after NCAA reverses course

Aziz Bandaogo’s waiver was approved and the transfer big man will immediately be eligible to play for the Cincinnati Bearcats this season.

The NCAA came to their senses regarding Cincinnati transfer big man Aziz Bandaogo, granting the former Utah Valley star immediate eligibility after receiving new information.

This is the second high profile college basketball star who had their waiver approved on appeal, following Jaylon Tyson who transferred from Texas Tech to Cal after his head coach, Mark Adams, was fired for his treatment of players, including Tyson.

“I’m thrilled for Aziz Bandaogo and can’t wait to have him play for us here at the University of Cincinnati this season,” Bearcats coach Wes Miller said. “This process has been incredibly tough on Aziz and our whole team and I’m glad he can now focus on being the best student-athlete he can be for the Bearcats. We appreciate the NCAA for reconsidering his case, and ultimately coming to this decision.”

Bandaogo began his college career at Akron, averaging 2.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 40 games across two seasons before transferring to Utah Valley, where he exploded. Bandaogo averaged 11.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks while playing for the Wolverines, winning WAC Defensive Player of the Year.

He hit the portal after his coach, Mark Madsen, took a new job at Cal and ended up joining Miller at Cincinnati in their first season in the Big 12.

The Bearcats are 4-0 on the year but rank 283rd in the country in blocked shots per game, and adding Bandaogo’s size, rim protection, and touch around the rim will make this team even more dangerous as they get into conference play.