Links: Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State earn big OVC wins; UK women win on the road
Some links and notes on this Friday:
IN-STATE HOOPS
Eastern Kentucky knocks off OVC leader Belmont. “Belmont had a 21-game winning streak since December and had not lost to the Colonels in over five years. The Bruins had won 30 straight games against OVC teams, one away from tying the all-time conference record.”
Morehead State beats Tennessee State. “Morehead State’s men’s basketball team set the program record for Ohio Valley Conference victories and locked in the No. 2 seed for next week’s conference tournament with a 74-60 triumph over Tennessee State at Johnson Arena. The Eagles (19-7 overall) improved to 16-3 in league games in 2020-21, besting the previous OVC wins mark of 15 set by the 2009-10 squad.”
UK women win at Georgia. “Rhyne Howard scored a game-high 27 points and drained a clutch three-pointer late, leading No. 19 Kentucky to a 62-58 victory over No. 17 Georgia in Athens on Thursday night. Kentucky (16-6 overall, 9-5 SEC) can now lock up a top-four seed and double-bye into the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament with a win over Mississippi in Memorial Coliseum in Sunday’s regular-season finale.”
UK men will play South Carolina. “Kentucky will play South Carolina on March 6 as part of the Southeastern Conference’s effort to fill in the final weekend of the regular season with games previously postponed, it was announced Thursday.”
Isaiah Jackson on the rise. “If Jackson keeps playing at the level of the past three games, Kentucky’s aspirations of playing its way into the NCAA Tournament by winning the SEC tourney become a lot more realistic.”
Former UK basketball star indicted. “Randolph Morris, who played at UK from 2004-07 and had a short stint in the NBA, was indicted on charges of wire fraud and making false statements on his federal tax returns, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He failed to report more than $13 million in income, which he made in the Chinese Basketball Association, according to the indictment.”
Western Kentucky no match for Houston. “WKU (15-5) committed 20 turnovers which led to 27 Cougars points, and No. 12/10 Houston made 13 three-pointers with 33 points from star Quentin Grimes to improve to 19-3 overall.”
Louisville lands Miami transfer Matt Cross. “A former four-star recruit, Cross’ freshman season came to an abrupt end on Jan. 28 when it was announced that he and Miami would be mutually parting ways. Before that, Cross was averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He was the first freshman to start a Hurricane season-opener since 2013.”
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Michigan State defeats No. 4 Ohio State 71-67. “Ohio State missed seven straight shots in the last five minutes of the game as Michigan State imposed its will on defense and Aaron Henry took control of the game offensively. While the Buckeyes were struggling offensively, the Spartans played their best basketball of the half and came up big on shot after shot even on well-defended possessions.”
No. 3 Michigan rips Iowa 79-57. “Franz Wagner scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half, while Isaiah Livers and Hunter Dickinson respectively added 16 and 14 points. Luke Garza — who entered the game leading the nation with 24.7 points per game — scored 16 points, and shot just 6-for-19 from the field. The Hawkeyes entered the night 13th in the country with 10.2 3s per game and fourth nationally with a 40.4 shooting percentage, but made just 6 of 19 3s in the contest, including 2 of 9 in the second half.”
Johnny Juzang scores 18 in UCLA win. “In what might have been its most dominant start-to-finish performance of the season, UCLA rolled to a 76-61 win at Huntsman Center that represented a rare breather for a team that could use one from its high-wire act.”
Gonzaga improves to 23-0. “No. 1 Gonzaga trailed most of the first half and had its fair share of issues at both ends of the court before turning back Santa Clara 89-75 on Thursday at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Zags (23-0, 14-0 West Coast Conference) remained on track for the program’s first unbeaten regular season. Gonzaga entertains Loyola Marymount on Saturday.”
Illinois star out with facial injury. “Illinois star guard Ayo Dosunmu is out indefinitely after suffering a facial injury, the school announced Thursday. Dosunmu suffered the injury in Tuesday’s loss to Michigan State. He was fouled hard by Spartans freshman Mady Sissoko late in the game; Sissoko was ejected after being hit with a flagrant 2 foul. Dosunmu didn’t leave the game, however.”
[UK basketball recruiting news and links at Next Cats]
Duke’s Jalen Johnson withdraws from school. “A week after he announced he would no longer play for Duke this season, Jalen Johnson is no longer a Duke student and has been removed from the team’s roster, The News & Observer has confirmed. The 6-9 freshman forward declared for the NBA draft on Feb. 15 after he and his family consulted with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.”
ACC Tournaments will have fans. “The league announced its decision Thursday, a day after Gov. Roy Cooper eased restrictions to allow attendance of up to 15% at indoor arenas seating more than 5,000 and 30% at outdoor venues.”
NCAA puts South Carolina on probation. “Lamont Evans was also hit with a 10-year show-cause penalty last summer for accepting bribes ranging from $18,150 to $22,000 as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, so it is unclear if that show-cause will run concurrently or if it will be added to the one he is already serving. Oklahoma State was punished with a postseason ban but is appealing that ruling.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s brother enters transfer portal. “Evansville guard Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander, the brother of former Kentucky standout Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, 247Sports sources have confirmed. He played just two seasons with the team.”
Archie Miller’s future uncertain at Indiana. “The question surrounding the Indiana University men’s basketball program has changed. People have stopped wondering if the lifeless Hoosiers will make the 2021 NCAA Tournament (they won’t), and started asking if coach Archie Miller should return for his fifth season (his $10 million buyout looks like his primary lifesaver).”
Virginia basketball is suddenly reeling. “Virginia (15-6, 11-4) sits in second place in the conference but fell two games in the loss column behind front-running Florida State (14-3, 10-2), which also owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season.”
THIS AND THAT
UK volleyball postponed. “Volleyball matches between Kentucky and Texas A&M, scheduled to be played February 26 and 27, have been postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Texas A&M program. The action is consistent with COVID-19 management requirements developed by the SEC’s Medical Guidance Task Force.”
UK baseball plays host to Milwaukee. “Coming off an emotional season-opening victory and riding a seven-game winning streak dating to last season the Kentucky baseball team settles in for a three-game weekend series against Milwaukee beginning Friday at Kentucky Proud Park. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, with Saturday and Sunday each set for 1 p.m. starts.”
The greatness of CBS’ Ian Eagle. “On Tuesday night, Eagle showed off his chops late in the Mavericks’ 110–107 win over the Celtics. While Luka Dončić dominated on the court, Eagle dominated on the mic, calling two clutch shots by the All-Star guard.”
Reds to allow 30 percent attendance. “When the Major League Baseball season opens for 2021, the Cincinnati Reds will be able to host fans in Great American Ball Park at 30% of the ballpark’s capacity, the team announced Thursday. Opening day is April 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 4:10 p.m. game.”
Nick Senzel will be the Reds’ center fielder. “David Bell said that Nick Senzel was the every day center fielder, but back tracked on the term “every day” just a little bit. The full set of quotes are important, though, when he was asked if he considered Senzel his every day center fielder.”
Drayden Van Dyke will ride at Keeneland. “Drayden Van Dyke, one of California’s top jockeys, will ride this spring at Keeneland and Churchill Downs, according to his new agent, retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 6:52 AM.
