Tag: College basketball

UConn honored Geno Auriemma becoming NCAA basketball’s all-time winningest coach with a literal goat

Goat meets goat.

With a UConn women’s basketball home win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday night, Geno Auriemma became the NCAA’s all-time winningest basketball coach.

It’s a remarkable achievement for the basketball coaching great who now has a startling 1,217 wins on his record that eclipses any other NCAA basketball coach.

After the game, UConn honored its “goat” by bringing out an actual goat to commemorate such a special moment for Auriemma and the school.

Auriemma seemed delighted to see the goat on his historic night, as this is a pretty cool gesture from UConn to enshrine its “goat” after so many years of excellence.

As for the actual goat, we hope he gots lots of love and some lettuce to eat.

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Florida in CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 rankings ahead of FAMU game

Another rankings, another top-25 appearance for the Florida men’s basketball team.

Florida basketball is off to a strong start to the 2024-25 campaign, sporting a perfect 4-0 record so far and a top-25 ranking in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP Poll.

The Gators also sit high in many of the secondary rankings such as the Top 25 And 1 put together by Gary Parrish for CBS Sports. After two weeks of play, the Orange and Blue are ranked 23rd sitting between the No. 22 Creighton Bluejays and No. 24 Rutgers Scarlett Knights.

“Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Friday’s 87-74 win at Florida State,” Parrish notes. “The Gators’ next game is Tuesday against Florida A&M.”

How to watch Florida-FAMU

The Florida and FAMU Rattlers tip off at 7 p.m. ET inside the O’Dome on Tuesday night. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Nework+ and can be heard on the Gators Sports Network.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Geno Auriemma, Courtney Banghart explain what makes UConn’s Paige Bueckers great

“I think she’s the most difficult player to guard in America,” Geno Auriemma said.

Paige Bueckers caught the inbounds pass and began sprinting up the left side of the court, with North Carolina’s Grace Townsend draped all over her like a blanket. The clock was winding down in the first quarter and Bueckers, UConn’s star guard, wanted to see if she could get one more shot up.

She stopped right in front of Tar Heels’ coach Courtney Banghart, pumped, jumped and fired over Townsend. It was an awkward-looking attempt, as the senior was leaning to her left, but there was nothing ugly about how the ball sailed through the air.

Buzzer. Swish.

Bueckers watched the ball fall through the hoop, then turned towards the North Carolina bench as her confident walk morphed into a jubilant skip.

It was one of the many highlight-worthy plays Bueckers had on Friday night in front of an announced crowd of 10,467 fans at the historic Greensboro Coliseum, where the No. 2 Huskies beat the No. 14 Tar Heels 69-58.

Bueckers led all scorers with a season-high 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting to go along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals – and zero turnovers – in 37 minutes of action. It was the first road game of the season for UConn and a memorable performance by the two-time consensus All-American in what is presumed to be by many her final year in college basketball.

“Paige is really special,” Banghart said after the game. “We’ve got an opportunity to watch a generational player for a couple more games before she goes on to the pros. She’s an exceptional player. She’s unselfish. We focus our defense on her. I think she doesn’t push, she doesn’t force, she has teammates she trusts and utilizes them well.”

When asked about Banghart’s “generational” label regarding Bueckers, UConn coach Geno Auriemma responded in a way that only he could.

“Well, I’ve been around a lot of generations, so I’ve had a lot of generational players, that people described as generational,” Auriemma said with a smile on the night that one of his former stars, Sue Bird, would be announced to the Basketball Hall of Fame. In the victory over UNC, Auriemma also tied Tara VanDerveer for college basketball’s all-time wins record.

“I guess this is true,” the 70-year-old Auriemma continued. “So, what makes them that? The ability to perform at an incredibly high level, and an even higher level than you expect. And you already expect the most, and yet, (Bueckers) gives you even more than that. And I think that’s probably the best description I can give you, is that she never fails to live up to your expectations of her, and then even goes above that. Some people are just born with that gift, and she has the gift. Some people squander those gifts. Every day, she works really hard to polish those gifts.”

By using freshman Sarah Strong as a moving human shield at times to knock down 3-pointers off her screens, driving towards the rim with precision and certainty, and dishing neck-breaking assists to Huskies’ shooters like Kaitlyn Chen, this outing from Bueckers was one where she reminded everyone that she is still one of the best players – if not the best – in college basketball.

While Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese got all the attention last season, and many pointing to USC’s JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo as the sport’s rising stars, it’s worth remembering that Bueckers was the National Player of the Year as a freshman, before a knee injury forced her to miss a season-and-a-half of action. Last season, over 38 games, Bueckers ranked fifth nationally in PER (40.1), second in win shares (8.9) and 10th in scoring (22.2) as she powered the Huskies to a Big East title and a Final Four berth.

“I really do believe that, unless you foul her every time, that’s the only way you’re going to stop her from doing what she wants to do. That’s it,” Auriemma said of Bueckers. “I think she’s the most difficult player to guard in America. There may be nights like tonight where she’s going to have to be.”

This season for the Huskies feels like championship-or-bust. With Bueckers leading the way and a stellar supporting cast around her, it feels incredibly likely that we’ll see UConn playing at the Final Four in Tampa in April.

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Oklahoma Sooners Forward Raegan Beers earns national, SEC weekly honors

Oklahoma Sooners forward Raegan Beers earned several weekly honors after her impressive start to the 2024-2025 college basketball season.

The Oklahoma Sooners Women’s Basketball team is off to a strong start at 2-0, winning by a margin of 38 points in their first two games. The Sooners moved up to No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

The Sooners boast an experienced roster and have been led by Oregon State transfer addition Raegan Beers. In two games with the Sooners, Beers is averaging 23.5 points and 14 rebounds per game.

For her efforts, Beers was named AP Player of the Week for the opening week of the women’s basketball season. Beers was also named the SEC Player of the Week and earned a selection to the USBWA’s starting five of the week. Beers was also named to the Wade Trophy watch list, as selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

She’s been as advertised, providing the Sooners an inside scoring presence and has impressed with her range and rebounding ability. Beers shot an incredible 70% from the field and 50% from the three-point line.

The Sooners are one of the more intriguing teams in the nation with an experienced group and one of the more talented frontcouts in college basketball with Beers, Skylar Vann, and Sahara Williams.

How Michigan State’s Nick Sanders is related to Lions legend Barry Sanders

There’s a reason Nick Sanders looks a bit familiar.

Hey, are you a sports fan who was born between 1960 and 2000? And you’re currently watching a Michigan State basketball game?

If so, one of the walk-ons at the end of the Spartans’ bench may look pretty familiar to you. Yes, that is Nick Sanders. Yes, the son of Barry Sanders.

The resemblance is striking enough that it should’ve been a dead giveaway.

Nick is one of Sanders’ four children — his older brother Barry James Sanders played college football at Stanford and later Oklahoma State, following his father’s footsteps.

At Michigan State, Sanders walked onto the team as a freshman in 2022 after graduating from Michigan high school athletics powerhouse Detroit Country Day.

He’s appeared in 16 games entering his junior season having shot 1-6 for his career from the field with one turnover and three points. Typically, if Sanders is entering the game, it means a Spartans victory has been clinched.

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Auburn basketball team shows the wrong kind of fight on trip to Houston

The Tigers’ plane turned around barely 45 minutes after takeoff

The Auburn basketball team’s flight to Houston for a showdown between the No. 11 Tigers and No. 4 Cougars barely made it the 55 miles to Montgomery, Alabama when it abruptly started heading back to campus on Friday night.

Reportedly, a scuffle had broken out among unnamed players in the cabin and head coach Bruce Pearl did not hesitate to turn this plane around.

The flight map is pretty wild. The audio between the air traffic controllers and the cockpit of Auburn’s plane is even more bizarre. You can hear the pilot struggle to describe exactly what happened as he tells the tower the flight deck is secure amid a “passenger disturbance.”

CBS Sports reports the incident involved freshman forward Jahki Howard and senior forward Ja’Heim Hudson.

Both Howard and Hudson were reportedly barred from getting on Auburn’s second flight to Houston on Friday night and will not rejoin the team for Saturday evening’s game, according to CBS Sports. The two bench players each saw at least 15 minutes of action in Auburn’s season-opening victory against Vermont.

We’ll learn more about what exactly occurred when Pearl and Auburn meet with the media after facing the Cougars.

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Todd Golden sexual harassment allegations: Everything we know about Florida’s men’s basketball coach so far

The allegations against Florida’s men’s basketball coach, explained

This post has been updated with new information

Florida men’s basketball coach Todd Golden is facing serious and disturbing allegations of sexual harassment and stalking towards Florida students, according to Title IX documents obtained by The Alligator, the school’s student newspaper.

There’s a lot going on here and much of it involves allegations of concerning behavior. Jack Meyer and Max Tucker of The Alligator report the school received a formal Title IX complaint against Golden, 39, on September 27.

Here’s a look at everything we know so far as the story develops.

What are the specific allegations against Golden?

Per Meyer and Tucker:

The formal Title IX complaint against Golden obtained by The Alligator includes allegations of sexual exploitation, sexual harassment and stalking. The complaint alleges that over a year, Golden specifically aimed these behaviors toward UF students.

The claims regarding sexual harassment, which could also include sexual exploitation, cited sending photos and videos of his genitalia while traveling for UF, unwanted sexual advances on Instagram, requesting sexual favors,  and various occasions of stalking.

The outlet further reports allegations that Golden used Instagram as a tool to stalk and harass women, including showing up to locations where he knew they were located as well as liking and unliking old photos in order to connect through direct messages.

The Alligator spoke with two alleged victims, both former UF students, who corroborated various patterns and actions allegedly used by Golden.

Again, per The Alligator:

The first woman, a former UF student, said that Golden stalked her in person, both in his car and on foot, and that this occurred “more than 10 times.” On one occasion, she said she posted her location on her Instagram story, and Golden messaged her shortly after saying that he was in the area “waiting for [her].”

She also said Golden sent unsolicited photos of his genitalia to her. On multiple occasions, the first woman said she received the photos while the team was traveling on the road. The nature of Golden’s alleged stalking became more assertive over time, she said.

What have Golden and Florida Athletics said about the allegations?

So far nothing, and it’s likely to stay that way now that a Title IX claim has been filed. A UF spokesperson told The Alligator the school is unable to confirm or comment on any Title IX inquiries in accordance with federal law.

However, ESPN reported the school is under no obligation to abstain from comment:

Title IX is regulated by the U.S. Department of Education. ESPN confirmed with federal education officials Friday that a school can disclose whether an employee has been accused of sexual harassment in a Title IX complaint if such disclosure is required under another federal or state law.

Florida’s state public records law would determine what the school has to release, and Michael Barfield, director of public access with the Florida Center of Government Accountability, wrote that he wasn’t aware of “any statutory exemption under Florida law that shields Title IX complaints as a public record.” Even if some information is exempt, he wrote, it would not allow officials to withhold the entire document.

Golden coached No. 21 Florida to wins over South Florida and Jacksonville this week to open the season 2-0.

Update: Golden posted a statement on Saturday afternoon

Who is Todd Golden?

The 39-year-old married father of two is a Phoenix, Arizona native who played collegiately at St. Mary’s before a short pro stint with Maccabi Haifa in Israel from 2008-10.

He returned to the college level as an assistant for Columbia in 2012 before joining Bruce Pearl’s Auburn program in a similar capacity from 2014-2016. Golden left the Tigers to join San Francisco as an associate head coach under Kyle Smith before taking over as head coach in 2019 when Smith left for Washington State.

At San Francisco, Golden went 57–36 and reached the NCAA Tournament in his third season. Following a first round loss in 2022, Golden was hired to replace Mike White at Florida.

Now in his third year with the Gators, Golden is 42–29 and received a two-year contract extension last March to keep him in Gainesville through 2029-30.

Haven’t there been a number of harassment claims against Florida coaches lately?

Sadly, yes. This is now the third major case of misconduct under Athletic Director Scott Stricklin in Gainesville.

Per ESPN:

Stricklin forced women’s basketball coach Cam Newbauer to resign in 2021 amid allegations he verbally, physically and mentally abused players and staff members.

Less than a year later, Stricklin fired women’s soccer coach Tony Amato amid an investigation into the coach’s comments and behavior regarding players’ eating habits and body shapes.

The Gators’ men’s basketball team is scheduled to play next on Monday at home against Grambling.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available

North Carolina Tar Heels lose to Kansas Jayhawks to drop to 1-1

The North Carolina Tar Heels lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in a wild road game on Friday night, falling to 1-1 on the year.

The North Carolina Tar Heels lost a basketball game on Friday night.

UNC went to Allen Fieldhouse to play the Kansas Jayhawks, the team that started the season atop the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The Jayhawks, led by Preseason All-American center Harris Dickinson, led by as many as 20 points in the first half before taking a 53-38 advantage to the break, but the Tar Heels dragged themselves in front with a 38-24 stretch across the majority of the second half.

Despite leading by three points with 3:52 left to play, however, UNC only scored three points the rest of the way to lose 92-89. The Tar Heels were held completely scoreless for the final two minutes.

RJ Davis, a First Team All-American last year and the Preseason ACC Player of the Year, made three of his 15 attempts from the floor and went 1/7 from 3-point range to end up with 16 points.

The Tar Heels turned the ball over 11 times as a team, giving up 16 points on the ensuing possessions, and they were outscored 50-32 in the paint.

UNC now sits 1-1 for the season, and the Blue Devils get their own battle with the Jayhawks on November 26.

Cooper Flagg’s cramps have Duke’s Jon Scheyer concerned: ‘We got to help him’

Flagg had a double-double in the first half of Duke’s win over Army.

Cooper Flagg probably could’ve had more than the 13 points and 11 rebounds he finished with in No. 7 Duke’s 100-58 rout of Army on Friday night. All of Flagg’s points and all but one rebound came in the first half of the decisive victory for the Blue Devils.

But Flagg was unable to stuff the stat sheet in the second half because he spent the majority of it on the bench. The 17-year-old freshman – a preseason AP All-American projected by many to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft – played just a bit more than five minutes in the second half as he dealt with cramping for the second straight game of his collegiate career.

Flagg exited the game at the 15:39 mark in the second half and began guzzling Gatorade – whom he has a NIL sponsorship deal with – and using a massage tool on the areas above his knees. Flagg reentered the game four minutes later but lasted only a minute before he was back on the bench, grimacing, rubbing his hamstrings, drinking various liquids and talking to a trainer. Flagg didn’t reenter the game, playing less than 25 minutes.

“We got a plan in place, we’re going to follow it,” Flagg said. “We’re going to figure it out, for sure.”

Luckily for Duke, they didn’t need Flagg at full capacity to beat Army as five other Blue Devils scored in double figures in the lopsided win.

But the Blue Devils’ schedule is about to get a whole lot tougher. Of Duke’s next six games, four are against AP-ranked opponents – No. 23 Kentucky, No. 10 Arizona, No. 1 Kansas and No. 11 Auburn. And of those four, three are away from the cozy confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium and Duke’s Crazies.

Simply put, Duke is going to need Flagg healthy to be competitive in those marquee matchups.

And third-year Duke coach Jon Scheyer is going to do everything in his power to make that happen.

“We got to help him. I’m not happy about it, for him. We’ve got to help him, and we will. And right after this, I can promise you I’m going to be meeting (with staff), I don’t care if it’s all night,” Scheyer said. “We can’t have that happening – bottom line. I thought he had it going too. You know, that first half, he was just really controlling the whole game with his rebounding, his passing, his playmaking, his scoring, was assertive shooting the ball. So, that can’t happen. I’m not happy with it, we’re going to fix that.”

Flagg’s first half of play saw him throw down an alley-oop and swish a pair of 3-pointers. He finished the game with three assists, three blocks and two steals in addition to his first collegiate double-double.

In the second half, the expression on his face read “yuck” as he was drinking whatever trainers handed him.

“I’m not even sure what it was,” Flagg said of the shot of seemingly unknown liquid that made his face sour. “There was a couple of things… We had a little pickle juice too, which is something I’ve tried in the past.”

Flagg dealt with cramps in his Duke debut earlier this week too, leaving the Blue Devils’ season-opener against Maine on Monday with under four minutes to play due to cramping in his left calf.

In the postgame press conference, Scheyer put the blame squarely on the shoulders of himself and Duke’s coaching and support staff. And he seemed like a coach willing to try just about anything to make sure he’s getting the most out of his prized star recruit.

“It’s on all of us. It’s me, it’s our coaches, it’s our medical team and sports performance – it’s all of us,” Scheyer said. “He’s doing everything that he needs to in preparation. It’s not like there’s something that he’s not doing. He prepares his butt off. He drinks, he’s eating the right way, he does everything he needs to. We got to help him take care of this now.”

Somewhat strangely, this isn’t the first time in recent memory that a star Duke freshman has dealt with cramping. Paolo Banchero received an IV during a game, more than once, because of it.

Eric Musselman opens USC tenure with rout of Chattanooga

Eric Musselman made his USC basketball debut. Opening night could not have gone any better. The Trojans looked very well-coached throughout.

USC opened up its season with a dominant 77-51 victory over Chattanooga on Monday, beginning the Eric Musselman era with a bang. The Trojans looked like a well-oiled machine and did not play like a team which had just one returning player from Andy Enfield’s last team. This group, comprised almost entirely of transfers, looked sharp and connected at both ends of the floor. Guard Chibuzo Agbo scored a team-high 14 points on 4-of-9 from 3 while forward Matt Knowling added 13 off the bench. It was an all-around successful night for the Trojans, who had seven players score 8 or more points in the win. The Trojans held the Mocs to just 27.8% shooting from the floor including 17.6% beyond the arc.

The win is reflective of this team’s identity that was showcased in its exhibition win over Gonzaga in late October.

Kevin Sweeney, a college basketball writer for Sports Illustrated, put it this way:

“USC didn’t treat this (Gonzaga) like an exhibition, really pushed its starters to the brink and did everything it could to win the game. Probably a decent move by Muss – try to build some buy-in and confidence inside the locker room while getting a big-name win to build excitement with the fans. Was impressed with how Claude looked as essentially a full-time point guard (a new role for him) and the positional size and shooting they have from 1-4 is impressive.”

In his first year with the program, head coach Eric Musselman seems to be putting an emphasis on culture and making his players buy into his plan. While Chattanooga is one of the easier opponents this team will face this season, a big win, with no roadblocks, will make any Trojan fan happy. This was a very strong and positive opening game. Keep in mind that Terrance Williams, the Michigan transfer who is expected to be one of USC’s better scorers this season, did not play due to injury. USC did really well without him. Imagine what could happen when he gets healthy and gets playing time.

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