Tag: Sebastian Mack

Social media goes wild after Sebastian Mack ejection, UCLA’s last-second loss to Utah

Social media exploded after Sebastian Mack was ejected and Branden Carlson dealt a huge blow to UCLA.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team saw its winning streak end on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion. Utah was too much, and a Branden Carlson buzzer-beater was the difference-maker in another hard-fought game.

The Bruins had to play nearly the entire game without Sebastian Mack due to him being ejected for a dirty play in the first half. And, despite that, UCLA still was in it, with Dylan Andrews hitting the go-ahead jumper with just seconds remaining.

But, Carlson was the hero, sealing the deal with a huge tip-in for Utah. There is a ton ti unpack from this game, and here are some of the reactions on social media.

Sebastian Mack ejected as UCLA loses to Utah on buzzer-beater

Sebastian Mack ejected as Branden Carlson buzzer-beater ends UCLA’s winning streak.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team saw its winning streak come to an end on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins lost to the Utah Utes, 70-69, on a buzzer-beater by Branden Carlson.

Utah had four players in double figures, with Carlson and Deivon Smith both scoring 17. UCLA went into halftime up just two points and it was a back-and-forth effort all game long at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday in a huge Pac-12 Conference battle.

UCLA had another balanced attack with Lazar Stefanovic with 19 and Dylan Andrews with 15. However, Sebastian Mack played just eight minutes due to being ejected early in the first half.

Dylan Andrews’ jumper gave UCLA a one-point lead with less than 10 seconds left, but Carlson played herp for Utah in a thrilling finish.

UCLA moves to 14-12 overall and Utah goes to 16-10. UCLA now is 9-5 and tied for Oregon for third place as Utah moves to just 6-8 in Pac-12 play.

Sebastian Mack leads UCLA to win over Colorado

The Bruins won their sixth straight game by defeating Colorado.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team just continues to find ways to win games. On Thursday night, UCLA escaped with a narrow home victory over Colorado, 64-60.

UCLA held a 9-point lead at halftime but Colorado got very close to winning the game. However, it was Sebastian Mack who led the way with 19 points and Adem Bona who had 14 points with seven rebounds. Dylan Andrews added 13 as UCLA used another team effort to get the win at home.

After the game, Mick Cronin made sure to credit Mack for the huge performance: “He went 7-for-11, 5-for-7. When you get 19 on 11 shots, that’s pretty strong. And he’s still playing hurt. He and Lazar are playing hurt the rest of the year. When you’ve got the toe injury that Sebastian has – he has good days and bad. As soon as it feels good, someone steps on it, you jump stop or something happens. Lazar didn’t practice hardly at all this week because of his foot. He hasn’t practiced much, but he really sat out a lot this week, and it really hurt his rhythm. But Sebastian was tremendous on the offensive end tonight.”

Cody Williams was the leading scorer for Colorado, notching 18 points on 8-9 from the field.

Oddly enough, Colorado shot better from the field and the three-point line than UCLA did. Colorado also had more rebounds and more assists.

But, the Buffs had 14 turnovers compared to the Bruins’ five.

UCLA has now won six games in a row and eight of the last nine in an unreal streak, and one that could prove worthy of a potential NCAA berth.

UCLA next faces Utah at home on Sunday before having nearly a week off.

Sooners ink two basketball commits headlined by Top 50 prospect Kaden Cooper

Oklahoma signed two athletic wing players during the early signing period, Jacolb Cole and Kaden Cooper. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma’s basketball program earned a massive boost for its future over the weekend. Oklahoma received signed national letters of intent from two talented basketball players that will join the team as freshmen in 2023. Kaden Cooper and Jacolb Cole signed during the early signing period to help jumpstart Oklahoma’s recruiting efforts for the class of 2023.

Cole, a 6-8 forward from Bellaire, Texas, is a four-star prospect according to  ESPN and Rivals and ranked a three-star per 247Sports. He is the No. 69 player on the ESPN100, ranked No. 107 nationally by Rivals, and the No. 6 player in Missouri according to 247Sports.

Cole’s calling card is his versatility, which is becoming the norm across all levels of basketball for guys with his height. Cole can play against smaller power forwards but will need to put weight on to bang with the older, more physically mature power forwards at the college level. His athleticism, length, and lateral quickness will allow him to guard traditional small forwards too.

Offensively, Cole thrives slashing to the bucket and using his ballhandling skills to help create for others. Long term, he could be great as a secondary playmaker for Porter Moser’s offensive system.

The second of two signees, Kaden Cooper, as of right now, is the crown jewel of the 2023 recruiting class for Oklahoma. The homegrown Sooner is staying in Oklahoma to play his college ball after passing up opportunities to play for Alabama, Kansas, and LSU.

Cooper is a monumental signing for Oklahoma, who hadn’t signed a player in the top 50 of the ESPN100 since they landed in-state legend Trae Young. Cooper is ranked No. 44 on the ESPN100 and No. 56 per 247Sports.

Cooper is a standout two-way player. He has eye-popping athleticism that will help him thrive playing in a system that is a little more free-flowing and plans to get out and run in transition. His long-term ceiling will be determined by how well he continues to evolve as a shooter.

With the signing of both, Oklahoma currently ranks 29th in the nation in team recruiting rankings for 2023. Oklahoma remains hopeful that four-star shooting guard Sebastian Mack announces in Oklahoma’s favor come Wednesday. As of right now, the heavy momentum looks very much in favor of UCLA.

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