Tag: hoops

Stunner – Muffet McGraw to Retire

Legendary women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw announced her retirement on Wednesday. Find out all the news on this shocking story here.

Shocking news out of South Bend on Wednesday afternoon as legendary women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw is retiring.  McGraw has not only coached the Notre Dame women’s team since the 1987-88 season but turned them into one of the top programs in collegiate sports.

McGraw released the following statement on Wednesday:

McGraw led the Fighting Irish to 24 straight NCAA Tournament appearances beginning in 1996, a streak that would have ended this past year had the tournament been played.  In that stretch she won a pair of national championships while reaching the final five more times and the Final Four three more times.

McGraw retires with the seventh most coaching wins in the history of women’s basketball, compiling 936 wins between her five years at Lehigh before her 33 seasons at Notre Dame.  McGraw finishes with a career mark of 848-251 at Notre Dame and went 425-97 in Big East and ACC play.

McGraw was elected to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.  She was also awarded 10 different coach of the year awards in her time with the Fighting Irish.

Former Notre Dame player and McGraw assitant Niele Ivey will be the next head coach.  She takes the post after working most recently as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.

More on the story as it comes but an absolute stunner to see a legend like McGraw, who would perhaps be on the Mt. Rushmore of Women’s Basketball coaches all-time, retires.

Notre Dame/Mike Brey Welcome Newest Two New Players

Tony Sanders, Jr. announced his commitment to Notre Dame 12 days ago and joins fellow incoming freshmen Elijah Taylor and Matt Zona while over the weekend Santa Clara transfer Trey Wertz committed to the Fighting Irish.  Of the latest additions, Mike Brey said the following during Tuesday’s media availability.

Notre Dame officially announced the additions to a pair of basketball players Tuesday, a couple of players that came into the fold in the last couple of weeks.

Tony Sanders, Jr. announced his commitment to Notre Dame 12 days ago and joins fellow incoming freshmen Elijah Taylor and Matt Zona while over the weekend Santa Clara transfer Trey Wertz committed to the Fighting Irish.  Of the latest additions, Mike Brey said the following during Tuesday’s media availability.

“As we officially add Tony and Trey today, it is a great shot in the arm for our program,”

On Sanders, Jr.:

“Tony is compared to Ty Nash and that is quite a compliment. He is a 6-7 guy who just knows how to play and is good with the ball. I think he is going to be a great four-year investment for us. He has a feel for the game and athletic ability. He has been well-trained as a high school player.”

On Wertz:
“I am very excited about Trey. He is one of those guards in a long, long line of great guards we have had. I don’t know if he is a ‘one,’ or a ‘two,’ or a ‘two-and-a-half,’ or a ‘three,’ or whatever – he is a basketball player. He is a feel-for-the-game guy with a great skill set.  

“Trey is 6-5 but he has a 6-11 wingspan. He is 180 (lbs) but by the time he takes the floor for us he will be 195 or 200. I knew we were in good shape when he texted us during the process and said ‘Coach, I have been on Synergy, do you see me playing like Jerian Grant in your system?’ I said, bingo! Yes. He is a great fit for us.”

Between 2007 and 2017 Notre Dame appeared in the NCAA Tournament eight of 11 seasons before missing the tournament (would have missed 2020 with anything short of an ACC Tournament Championship) each of the last three seasons. Here’s to hoping Sanders and Wertz are in fact that shot in the arm that ends that slump sooner than later.

What Notre Dame is Getting in Newest Commitment, Wertz

As a sophomore last season at Santa Clara, Wertz averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.  In his freshman year Wertz earned All-Freshman Team conference honors in the West Coast Conference.

Notre Dame basketball has it’s latest commitment as transfer guard from Santa Clara Trey Wertz chose Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish basketball program on Saturday afternoon.

Wertz chose Notre Dame over finalists Arizona, Butler and North Carolina with Carolina being the only campus he had ever stepped foot on, making a visit his sophomore year of high school.

What is Notre Dame Getting in Trey Wertz?

Wertz was a two-time all-state selection in high school at Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina.  At the time of his recruitment he was a as a three-star talent and chose Santa Clara over the likes of Georgetown, Stanford, Virginia Tech and others.

As a sophomore last season at Santa Clara, Wertz averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.  Wertz earned All-Freshman Team conference honors in the West Coast Conference two seasons ago.

Quick Scouting Report:

This from Jeff Goodman of Stadium, who ranks Wertz as the eighth best player in the transfer portal this off-season.

Trey Wertz, 6-5, 185, G, Soph., Santa Clara
2019-20 Stats: 11.9 ppg
Scout’s take: “Big, smooth guard who gets to his spots well. Great pace and when you let him do that, he’s as good as anybody. When you get up in him and speed him up, he’s a different player.”
Schools: North Carolina, Arizona, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Virginia, Butler

Notre Dame Makes Cut for Transfer Trey Wertz

Earlier this week we learned about Santa Clara transfer Trey Wertz and his desires to take his basketball talents elsewhere and that Notre Dame was on his initial list of schools.  Fast-forward a couple days and Notre Dame is very much still in the picture.

Earlier this week we learned about Santa Clara transfer Trey Wertz and his desires to take his basketball talents elsewhere and that Notre Dame was on his initial list of schools.  Fast-forward a couple days and Notre Dame is very much still in the picture.

Wertz released the names of seven schools he remained interested in transferring to.

There are a couple other mid-west schools in Butler and Ohio State that Mike Brey and his staff will have to sell the program over.  Some blue-bloods on there too with North Carolina, Arizona and Virginia (although not a blue-blood, still a very impressive program of late).  And finally another school seen more as a football school in Oklahoma.

As always, we’ll keep you posted when the next series of cuts come whether its good news or not for Notre Dame.

Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Wizards at Bucks sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Washington Wizards (15-30) will take on the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks (40-6) on Tuesday night at the Fiserv Forum. The opening tip will be at 8 p.m. ET. We analyze the Wizards-Bucks odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Wizards at Bucks: Key injuries

Wizards

  • None

Bucks

  • PG George Hill (hamstring): Probable

Wizards at Bucks: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Bucks 128, Wizards 115

Moneyline (ML)

The Bucks have been red-hot as of late, winning eight games in a row. They’ve looked almost unbeatable in that stretch, too, winning six of them by double-digits. The Wizards are 4-6 in their last 10 games and just allowed 152 points to the Hawks on Sunday.

This is a lopsided matchup, but it’s not worth putting anything on the moneyline. The Bucks moneyline is -2000, so it’s best to PASS here. Milwaukee should win, but it’s not worth the risk.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Bucks returns a profit of $0.50.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Bucks are favored by 15.5 points on Tuesday, the largest spread of the night in the NBA. They’ve been double-digit favorites in each of their last five games but are only 2-3 against the spread in those games.

As good as the Bucks have been this season, they’re only 25-21 ATS this season, partly because the spreads have been so large in their favor. Washington will barely cover the spread, so take the WIZARDS (-106) with 15.5 points.

Over/Under (O/U)

The over/under is set at 240.5 points, which is a huge number. The Bucks rank first in the NBA in scoring (119.3 points per game), while the Wizards are fifth (115.3). The Over is only 21-23-2 in Bucks games this season, with the total going Under in four of their last six.

The Wizards’ lack of defense complicates things, with the total going Over in four of their last five. The Bucks are well-rested, too, having the last three days off. Bet the OVER 240.5 (-106).

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @camdasilva and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Vols men’s basketball falter vs FSU

NICEVILLE – The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team’s season-opening winning streak has finally come to an end, losing a tough game in the final minutes on the road to the Florida State Seminoles, 60-57, in the Emerald Coast Classic. The Vols …

NICEVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team’s season-opening winning streak has finally come to an end, losing a tough game in the final minutes on the road to the Florida State Seminoles, 60-57, in the Emerald Coast Classic.

The Vols were led by Lamonte Turner, who scored 20 points, but only shot 4-14 from the field and did most of his damage at the charity stripe, going 11-14; he also gave away 8 turnovers. Yves Pons brought the double-double trouble scoring 13 points, grabbing 10 boards and swatting three shots, representing the Vols’ best performance on the evening. Jordan Bowden was the only other UT player to reach double digit points, adding 11 of his own to go along with five rebounds.

Despite the close finish, Tennessee never led in this game. It was a furious comeback in the last two minutes that produced the final margin of defeat, with the Vols falling short in the end. Their largest deficit of 13 came at 10:42 in the second half, and the Volunteers just were not able to dig themselves out of that hole. FSU made three of four free throw attempts in the final seconds to seal the loss despite a last-second trey by Turner.

Overall, the Vols only shot 33 percent from the field and a putrid 23 percent from behind the arc. Their 89 percent mark from the free throw line on 29 attempts is very encouraging, as was their team total of seven blocks, but it is hard to win games against quality opponents when you cough up the ball 21 times.

The match was the first between the two teams in three decades, with the all-time record in the series now standing at 5-4 in favor of Tennessee. The loss ended a five-game winning streak to open the year for the Vols, though there remain plenty more games to be played.

The Volunteers next face either Purdue or VCU on Saturday at 4 or 7 p.m. ET, depending on game results, and will be broadcasted on the CBS Sports Network.