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College Basketball Capsules - Men: Texas A&M rallies to beat Texas Tech
LUBBOCK (AP) — Elston Turner felt relief that he and his Texas A&M teammates finally got a Big 12 road win, beating Texas Tech 47-38 on Tuesday night in their final Big 12 matchup with the Red Raiders.
"Any win's a great win," said Turner, who led the Aggies with 16 points. "It's hard to win, so when you do and you do it to another Texas team, a Big 12 team as we're about to leave, I mean, it's just that much better."
Khris Middleton added 11 for A&M, which ended a four-game skid with the win and was 0-6 in road games until beating the Red Raiders.
The Aggies (13-12, 4-9) overcame a 15-point deficit and pulled ahead for the first time during an 18-5 run that included eight points from David Loubeau and five from Middleton.
After shooting 48 percent in the first half, Texas Tech went cold. The Red Raiders finished 5 of 19 from the field after the break, and scored just 12 points in the second half to finish with their lowest total of points in a game this season.
A&M shot poorly in the first half — 28 percent — compared to 39 percent in the second half.
"I thought we did a much better job in the second half," Aggies coach Billy Kennedy said. "We played the guys who were playing well and being aggressive and attacking. We had some turnovers in the first half from some guys who were playing on the back of their heels."
Jaye Crockett scored 12 points to lead Texas Tech (8-17, 1-12).
The Aggies won in Lubbock for the fourth straight time.
Texas A&M got back into the game using a 17-2 run that spanned the two halves to tie the game at 26 early in the second half when Turner hit a short jumper. Ten minutes later they tied it again at 36.
The difference came down to the Aggies getting offensive rebounds. They had nine in the first half and got 10 points off the 11 offensive rebounds in the second half.
Overall, A&M outrebounded the Red Raiders 41-23.
"It's been a focus all my career if I miss a shot," said Loubeau, who led A&M with eight rebounds, five of them offensive. "I chase a shot, and I try to go up strong with it."
Texas Tech coach Billy Gillispie said his team wasn't tough enough in the lane to win.
"They had 20 offensive rebounds, we only had 23 total rebounds and basically that was the story of the game," he said. "We defended well enough to win. You give up 47 points, you're supposed to win at home but we just didn't score."
The Aggies got their first lead with 6:43 remaining when Loubeau grabbed a rebound off a jumper by Middleton from the corner and slammed it down to put A&M up 38-36. The Red Raiders scored just once after that when Crockett got a dunk.
Texas Tech's cold shooting started late in the first half. The Red Raiders missed on six of their last seven possessions and failed to score in their first four possessions of the second half.
Tech led 26-17 at halftime, only the second time in Big 12 play that the Red Raiders have held a lead at the break. They used a 15-4 run that included field goals from Javaris Willis, Crockett, Robert Lewandowski and a 3-pointer by Ty Nurse.
"We were up 24-9," Willis said of the Red Raiders' early lead. "I gave up a 3, Ty gave up a 3, and we just gave them hope."
Brown scores 19 as Texas turns away Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Texas guard J'Covan Brown said he received the best 22nd birthday present possible Tuesday night — a victory over Oklahoma. For a bonus, the Longhorns boosted their NCAA tournament hopes.
Brown, the Big 12's scoring leader, had 19 points and Texas extended its winning streak to four games, rallying from an eight-point deficit to win 69-58.
"We got a win," Brown said. "There's no better birthday than this, spending it with my teammates."
Oklahoma (13-12, 3-10) dropped its fifth consecutive game, its fourth in a row at home and its fifth straight in its series against Texas (17-9, 7-6), which is seeking a 14th straight NCAA tournament appearance under coach Rick Barnes.
Myck Kabongo and Sheldon McClellan scored 13 points each for Texas. Steven Pledger led the Sooners with 18 points, and Cameron Clark and Romero Osby had 13 apiece.
Oklahoma led 33-25 in the final minute of the first half, but Texas used a 10-0 run spanning intermission to go ahead.
Oklahoma rallied briefly to go up 37-35, but Brown hit three 3-pointers in a 3-minute span as the Longhorns seized control with a 19-5 run and went up 54-42 on a jam by Jaylen Bond with 10:57 left.
Texas cranked up its defensive intensity after halftime, as evidenced by Oklahoma's turnovers. The Sooners had three miscues in the first half but ended the game with 13.
Texas also kept Oklahoma off the free throw line in the second half, as the Sooners went 1 of 2 from the line. For the game, Oklahoma was 5 of 8, compared to 24 of 29 for the Longhorns.
"It was a tough start to the second half," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. "We made some shots in the first half, and a lot of guys were doing some pretty good things.
"Then early in the second half, it seemed like there was a possession or two that kind of deflated us a little bit. We just couldn't get back on top. As a result of that, we played with a little bit less energy the rest of the way. We need to figure out a way to work through that."
Before its current winning streak, Texas had lost five of six games, jeopardizing its NCAA tournament hopes during a season in which five of the Longhorns' top six scorers are freshmen.
But the Longhorns' ability to rally in the second half has proven invaluable in reversing their course. Texas has trailed at halftime in each of its last three games but came back to beat Texas A&M, then rallied from 13 down at halftime to defeat Kansas State before overtaking Oklahoma.
Barnes said he has told his players they won't make the NCAA tournament field based on reputation.
"I can assure you that nobody is going to talk their way into the NCAA tournament," he said. "In another 2½ to three weeks, you're going to have a resume, and you're either good enough or you're not.
"We've got enough games to prove that we are good enough, and we've got a choice to make. If we want to do it, it's there for us. I think it's that simple. You've got to earn it.
"I don't think we're there yet, in terms of what we have to do to get where we want to go, until we understand it's tough. We have to understand the urgency."
Against the Sooners, Brown was emblematic of Texas' recent turnaround. The junior guard struggled in the first half, going 2 of 8. He missed all four of his 3-point attempts and threw up two air balls before his shots began falling during the Longhorns' big second-half run. He finished 5 of 14 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line.
"We just had to be more aggressive in getting shots that were there," Brown said. "I had to settle down and let the game come to me."
Texas shot 39 percent (20 of 52) compared to 41 percent (24 of 58) for the Sooners.
Oklahoma led most of the first half after making five of its first six shots. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Tyler Neal and Osby put the Sooners ahead 28-21 with 2:24 left in the half. A 6-0 run just before halftime made it 33-25 before a three-point play by McClellan with 5 seconds left.
After Texas' second-half run put the Longhorns up by 12, Oklahoma closed within six points twice, the final time at 58-52 on Andrew Fitzgerald's basket with 5 minutes left. But the Sooners came no closer as Texas went 13 of 14 from the line in the final 5:10.
TCU upsets No. 11 UNLV 102-97 in overtime
FORT WORTH (AP) — TCU senior guard Hank Thorns sent a tweet a few hours before playing No. 11 UNLV about never experiencing the thrill of being surrounded by Horned Frogs fans on the court after a big victory.
He needed to do an update afterward. Thorns scored eight of his career-high 32 points in overtime and the Frogs beat a ranked team for the first time in five years with a 102-97 victory Tuesday night over his hometown team.
When the game ended, the Las Vegas native jumped excitedly onto the scorer's table before joining the rest of his teammates being mobbed by TCU students in the middle of the floor. Thorns found his father and uncle in the crowd, then shed tears when he got in the locker room.
"I'm just overwhelmed,' Thorns said. "My dream came true. It was a dream for me to do this, to beat these guys. That's something I always wanted to do, it was my reason to come here to TCU, and we got them when they were No. 11 in the country."
TCU (15-10, 5-4 Mountain West) trailed by 18 points with about 15 minutes left and had cut that deficit by only three points 5 minutes later.
The Frogs hadn't led since the opening minutes of the game when Thorns started overtime with a layup to break the 85-all tie. And they didn't give the lead up from after that. Thorns made his eighth 3-pointer of the game with 1:21 left, dribbling in a circle around several defenders and then shooting over one to make it 96-91.
"It's hard to put it into perspective — down 18 points to the No. 11 team in the country. I told our kids before the game I felt like we had an opportunity," TCU coach Jim Christian said. "When we got down, in our huddles, I knew they were coming back, everything that was said. ... I just thought our kids were so resilient and play so hard."
UNLV (22-5, 6-3) had won 13 of 15, the losses by a combined four points. The Rebels were coming off a 65-63 win over No. 13 San Diego State to avenge a two-point road loss against the Aztecs last month.
TCU had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation after Oscar Bellfield had a turnover, but Thorns made one pass too many.
Kyan Anderson stole the ball and got it to Thorns, who was driving toward the basket. Instead of taking the shot, he dished it to J.R. Cadot, who made the layup — except the clock ran out before the ball got out of his hand.
Just four weeks ago against TCU in Las Vegas, the Runnin' Rebels opened the game with an 18-2 run. They led by at least 13 points the rest of the way and won 101-78.
Not this time.
"One of the things we're not very good at right now is keeping our foot on the pedal on both ends of the floor," UNLV coach Dave Rice said. "For us to be a very good team, for us to advance to being a very good team we have to have almost that killer instinct where if we're up six, get up eight; if we're up 18, try to get up 22, 24."
Mike Moser had 22 points and all five starters scored in double figures for UNLV. Anthony Marshall and Chace Stanback had 17 points, while Bellfield had 16 and Brice Massamba 12.
Cadot had 16 points and 12 rebounds for TCU, while Garlon Green had 13 points and Craig Williams 10.
Bellfield put the Rebels up 66-48 with 14:57 left in regulation. They were still up by 15 about five minutes later when Moser scored five quick points.
After making a nifty basket at one end, Moser grabbed a long rebound on the other and drove for a layup while being fouled. His free throw made it 76-61 with 9:54 left.
The Horned Frogs didn't get even until consecutive 3-pointers by Thorns with a layup by Moser in between. Thorns' second 3 in that spurt, deep beyond the top of the key with the shot clock running down, tied the game at 83 with 2:58 left.
"He made some shots at the end of the game that nobody could guard," Rice said. "But the problem is giving him confidence to start the game. He's a great player, there's obviously extra motivation for him playing UNLV."
Thorns finished 11-of-21 shooting, 8 of 12 on 3-pointers.
"I can't explain it," Thorns said. "I shot it like I normally shoot. I was just hot, I was feeling it."
After Thorns' last 3 in regulation, a dunk by Moser put the Rebels back in front briefly.
Amric Fields missed a long jumper for TCU that was rebounded by Marshall. But Marshall was falling down and threw the ball down the court right to Fields, who then drove for a tying layup.
Fields, who finished with 17 points, missed two 3-pointers after that. The last was rebounded by Bellfield with 17 seconds left. UNLV called timeout to set up a final play in regulation, but Bellfield lost the ball with 2 seconds remaining.
TCU's last win over a ranked team had been 71-66 over No. 14 Air Force.
"UNLV's a phenomenal team, and I'm not taking anything away from them," Christian said. "But don't take anything away from our team. They didn't give us this game, we won this game."
-- Stephen Hawkins
Big 12
Missouri F Ricardo Ratliffe chasing NCAA FG record
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — One game when the shots refused to fall, and now Ricardo Ratliffe is playing catchup against a 31-year-old record.
The 6-foot-8 Ratliffe is the lone inside threat for No. 3 Missouri, which has ridden a four-guard attack to surprise elite status under new coach Frank Haith. For most of the season, he's been a can't-miss option.
Ratliffe, who takes most of his shots within arm's reach of the rim, has for most of the season been ahead of the NCAA single-season field goal shooting record set in 1980-81 by Oregon State's Steve Johnson (74.6 percent).
Ratliffe is still the national leader by a wide margin at 73.7 percent. But last week's game against then-No. 6 Baylor put him on the outside looking in. The Bears concentrated on taking Ratliffe out of the equation after getting burned in the first meeting and got beat by a rain of 14 3-pointers instead. Ratliffe, however, entered the game at 75.1 percent and wound up just 3 for 9 with six points against a front line that goes 6-11, 6-9 and 6-9.
"It wasn't frustrating because I was worried about a percentage," Ratliffe said. "I just didn't think I played as well I could have. But we've got so many great players that we're still able to win even though just one guy may not be on his 'A' game."
Of course, he is all too aware of this game within the game.
"Yeah, I mean when you hear about it every five minutes, then it's just like engraved in you," Ratliffe said Monday. "So you think about it all the time."
Missouri (23-2, 10-2 Big 12) has a shot at winning the conference in its final season before moving to the SEC, entering Wednesday night's home game against Oklahoma State (12-13, 5-7) a half-game behind first-place Kansas.
Ratliffe has been a big reason, even if he is somewhat under the radar. The 240-pound Ratliffe rarely dunks, often throws in a pump fake or two before releasing and doesn't have a reel full of crowd-pleasing blocks, either.
But he sure knows how to convert all those entry passes from flashy point guard Phil Pressey and the rest.
"It's like a great marriage," Haith said. "I don't know that Ricardo would have his great play without good guards and I don't know if our guards would be as good as they are if we didn't have a low post presence."
Ratliffe, the former junior college player of the year at Central Florida Community College, gets plenty of good looks right on top of the basket because the Tigers have so many ball handlers who are equally comfortable launching the 3-pointer or driving the lane. Pressey is among the conference leaders with 5.8 assists per game, Michael Dixon averages three assists and Marcus Denmon, who leads Missouri with an 18-point average, chips in 2.4 assists.
"Whenever I've got a good big buy that can score, I try to give him the ball as much as possible to keep him happy," Pressey said. "He's at the right place always at the right time. I just try to find him."
Missouri averages eight 3-pointers and is hitting at a 39-percent clip. That buys valuable space inside.
Ratliffe has just 55 missed shots in 209 attempts with three perfect games, going 6 for 6 against Oklahoma, 7 for 7 against Binghamton and 8 for 8 against Villanova. He was 10 for 11 against Northwestern State, too, and then the truly impressive stats, given the competition:10 for 12 against Texas and 11 for 14 in the first Baylor meeting.
"Ricardo is our horse down low," teammate Kim English said. "He sets the tone on the glass, and that's big for us."
The only other stinker came against Mercer, when Ratliffe was just 1-for-6.
Far from a one-trick pony, Ratliffe leads Missouri with 6.8 rebounds per game. He and English are tied for second in scoring at 14.0 points.
Plus, he gets praise from his coach for eliminating concentration lapses that used to bog down his game and for running the floor "as well as any big man in the country."
''He's been able to say 'next play,' and that's a huge improvement for Ricardo," Haith said. "We don't have success if we don't have Ricardo's play."
-- R.B. Fallstrom
Top 25
Capsules: Buford, Sullinger leads Ohio State past Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — William Buford scored 24 points to spark No. 6 Ohio State, and Jared Sullinger backed him up inside with 23 points and eight rebounds to guide the Buckeyes to a 78-68 victory Tuesday over Minnesota that moved them a half-game ahead of Michigan State in the Big Ten standings.
Buford also had eight rebounds and five assists for the Buckeyes (22-4, 10-3), who snapped back after a humbling home loss to the Spartans. With Sullinger drawing double and triple teams in the post, Buford was there to knock down the open jump shots on the wing.
Rodney Williams had 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocks for the Gophers (17-9, 5-8), who tumbled into 10th place in the conference race. The Buckeyes pulled away with a 20-0 run over 7-plus minutes of the first half to build a 21-point lead.
No. 14 FLORIDA 61, ALABAMA 52
Patric Young took advantage of Alabama's suspension-depleted frontcourt with 19 points in Florida's win.
The Gators (20-6, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) scored the first 16 points of the second half to turn a tie score into a comfortable win after losing two straight games.
The Crimson Tide (16-9, 5-6) has lost two in a row without top two scorers and rebounders JaMychal Green and Tony Mitchell, who are on indefinite suspension. Guards Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele did rejoin the team and the starting lineup after being held out for the LSU game.
Young scored 12 in the second half despite heading to the bench with four fouls halfway through and fouling out late. He finished 9 for 12 from the field. Erik Murphy and Bradley Beal scored 14 points apiece. Murphy made 4 of 7 3-pointers.
Steele led Alabama with 11 points
CLEMSON 60, No. 22 VIRGINIA 48
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Andre Young and Tanner Smith scored 13 points each and Clemson held Virginia to its second-lowest point total this season.
The Tigers (13-12, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) took control with an 18-9 run over the final eight minutes to give the Cavaliers (19-6, 6-5) their second straight loss. Virginia looked out of synch with outside threat Joe Harris playing in a cast after breaking his left hand in a loss to North Carolina last Saturday.
Harris came in averaging 12 points a game, but was limited to two points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Jontel Evans led the Cavaliers with 17 points and star Mike Scott finished with 13, four below his team-leading average. Devin Booker added 10 points for the Tigers.
News & Notes
Temple emerges as team to beat in Atlantic 10
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Drexel had won its eighth straight game when coach Bruiser Flint decided to brag. Flint, tired of his Dragons getting overlooked on the city scene, declared Drexel the best hoops team in Philadelphia.
"I think we're the best team in Philly," Flint said. "I think we can beat anybody in the city."
Best team within walking distance of The Palestra? Sure. Best team among the six Division I programs in the city? Well, that might come as a surprise at Temple, where the Owls have become the hottest team in the sport without a national ranking.
The Owls don't need a number in front of their name to tell them how good they are.
Temple, in fact, is on a tear, rolling off eight straight wins entering Wednesday night's game at St. Bonaventure. The Owls (19-5, 8-2 Atlantic 10) are in first place, have a string of big victories on their resume — like knocking off Duke — and have hopes of a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
Last season, March was all about winning one game for Fran Dunphy, and ending the longest losing streak of any coach in the history of the NCAA tournament.
This season, the Owls want more. But expecting Dunphy to talk about March when Bonaventure is next on the schedule is kind of like expecting the Owls to lose two straight games: It's not going to happen.
Under Dunphy, in his sixth season at Temple, the Owls have become as consistent as any team in college basketball.
The Owls haven't lost two straight since dropping games to La Salle and Dayton in February 2009. Only Kansas (January 2006) and Duke (February 2009) have gone longer without a two-game losing streak.
For the Owls, that kind of success starts at the top with Dunphy, who changed his look this season (gone is his bushy mustache), just not his style.
"Every day in practice, every single play in practice, he nitpicks something," guard Khalif Wyatt said. "He's a perfectionist. He just wants things done a certain way, and his way works."
His quest for perfection paid off in Saturday's win over Xavier. With first place in the A-10 on the line, the Owls played about as flawless a 20 minutes as a team can play while racing to an early 16-0 run and a 21-point lead. The Owls shot 61 percent from the floor (19 of 31) in the half and 64 percent from 3-point range (7 of 11). Dunphy laughed at a suggestion that Temple won in a romp, pointing out a second half that failed to match the first in sheer dominance. Not many teams could have matched that effort.
"We just had a chance to make a statement," Wyatt said, "and we did a pretty good job of it."
Wyatt (16.7 points) joins Juan Fernandez (11.0) and Ramone Moore (18.8) as a trio of starting guards with a double-digit scoring average. When Temple had a 12-point lead on the brink of being erased last month vs. Maryland, Wyatt, Moore and Fernandez hit consecutive 3-pointers for a comfortable lead.
Moore, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, is the best of the bunch, and has forced himself into contention for A-10 player of the year honors. He's led Temple in scoring each of the last six games, including a stellar 30-point outing on national television against the Musketeers.
"He's the heart and soul of the team," Dunphy said. "Everyone likes Ramone."
Except for the opposition.
Moore is hardly alone in leading the Owls to big wins. Wyatt scored 22 points and junior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson had 17 in Temple's 78-73 win over then-No. 5 Duke in January.
Temple's win over the Blue Devils extended its run of consecutive seasons to a win over a top-10 non-conference team to four. They beat No. 8 Tennessee in 2008, No. 3 Villanova in 2009, No. 9 Georgetown last season, and, on Jan. 4, Duke.
As the fans stormed the court in wild celebration of the win over the Blue Devils, Dunphy and Fernandez simply waited for a TV interview. While doing so, the coach gave his guard a simple message:
"This is tremendous," Dunphy said. "Now, what about Dayton?"
The wins haven't been enough to get them ranked in The Associated Press' Top 25. The Owls are 99 points out of a spot in this week's poll.
"The bigger picture is where we're going to be May 1," said Dunphy, who likes to analyze where his team fits in with all of college basketball a month after the Final Four.
The Owls, as of now, are on the cusp of 20 wins after a touch of adversity. Forward Scootie Randall has missed the season with a knee injury. And forward Micheal Eric missed 13 games because of an injured right patella. Eric, Temple's top rebounder, returned for the Maryland game — and the Owls haven't lost since then.
"I feel like I'm getting to that comfort zone right now, where I can play as hard as I can and not worry about my past injuries," he said.
Eric wants to make up for lost time with a nice run in the postseason. Temple has six games left until the Atlantic 10 tournament starts. The Owls could have the No. 1 seed in Atlantic City, N.J., as well as motivation on their side.
Temple, after all, had won three straight conference tournaments before coming up short last season.
"We put ourselves in great position," Moore said. "We don't want to get too comfortable."
It might be easy to get comfy in Temple's new digs. Temple's $10 million basketball practice facility opened last month and the fresh-paint smell was as noticeable this week as the empty trophy cases still under construction outside the gym.
But Temple didn't become a national force on flashy surroundings — or boasts. Players, in fact, laughed off Flint's claim that no team was better than Drexel.
"I ain't got nothing to say about that," Moore said, waving his hands, and laughing.
The Owls state their case on the court.
-- Dan Gelston
Pressure builds on Illini coach Weber
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Mike Thomas has been athletic director at Illinois for five very busy months. He fired football coach Ron Zook three months after being hired and then hired Zook's replacement, Tim Beckman, over the protests of two university trustees who complained that the new coach wasn't black.
Thomas is now about to launch a campaign to raise more than $100 million to redo Assembly Hall even as fans grow increasingly frustrated with men's basketball coach Bruce Weber.
"Pack your bags, Weber!" a fan shouted at the ninth-year coach after a recent home loss.
The Illini (16-9, 5-7) have lost six of their last seven games to cement themselves in the middle of the 12-team Big Ten. And that, many fans note with disgust, is more or less where Illinois has been for several years.
Thomas won't say whether he plans to fire Weber. Much like he said when fans called for Zook's job last fall, Thomas said he usually evaluates his coaches at the end of the season -- and that's what he plans to do with Weber.
"I go through a process and assess the situation — not only what's happening currently but the total body of work — and usually make those decisions at the end of the season," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think you try to do it as soon as possible, you know, (when) it's pretty fresh to you."
Still, Thomas made clear during an appearance last weekend on a Champaign radio show that just getting to the NCAA tournament — and there's no guarantee Illinois gets there — isn't good enough.
"It's certainly our hope as a program that we're always in the NCAA tournament," Thomas said. "It's not a fact that we're going. It's where we'll be seeded, how high, and we're a threat to win national championships and make some noise in the tournament."
Despite the shouts from the stands and the angrier-than-usual vitriol on Illini message boards, Weber said he believes fans, at least some of them, are still behind him and his team.
"It's heart wrenching for me," he said last week. "It's heart-wrenching for fans. I still think we have tremendous fans."
"I went to a high school game last night," he added, "and they were taking pictures of me and signing autographs, and no one threw anything at me — or at least no one hit me."
His defenders include Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, an old friend from their days as assistants.
"If you want to talk about a guy who does it the right way, coaches his tail off, works his tail off," Izzo said. "I'm prejudiced because he's my friend, but Illinois better be happy to have him. He's won a lot of games there and taken them to a Final Four."
In his ninth season since moving from Southern Illinois, Weber is 212-95 (a .691 winning percentage and the third highest win total in Illinois history). He has won two Big Ten titles — the 2003-04 title was Illinois' first outright Big Ten championship since 1952 — played for the national championship in 2005 (losing to North Carolina) and finished with at least 20 wins in seven of the eight seasons he's completed in Champaign.
All of that is likely to be on the table when Thomas evaluates Weber.
"I don't think you can look at a small window of what's just happened or what's just transpired," said Thomas, who added that he will strive to "take the emotion out of the equation."
Since that championship game appearance, Illinois is 146-86 overall (.629 winning percentage), a pedestrian 60-56 in the Big Ten and 2-4 in the NCAA tournament. Two of those seasons, the Illini didn't make the tourney at all.
The home crowds are still among the biggest in the Big Ten, but sellouts are now a rarity rather than the norm.
Illinois is paying Zook $2.6 million to buy out his contract, and Weber's contract runs through 2015 and would force the school to pay him $3.9 million if he's fired after this season.
Firing both the head football coach and men's basketball coach in one academic year isn't common at schools with Division I programs, but it isn't unheard of, either. The most recent instance, according to STATS LLC, was at Army, where both football coach Stan Brock and basketball coach Jim Crews were fired in 2008-09.
Trustees Lawrence Oliver and James Montgomery — both of whom are black — both said they voted against Beckman's hire because they believe the school needs to hire its first black head football or basketball coach. Illinois has never had either.
Thomas declined to address the trustees' votes.
"All I'm going to say is, you know, we're excited about the fact Tim's here and hope he has great success," Thomas said.
Illinois has five regular-season games left, starting Wednesday at home against Purdue. Two games are against ranked teams — at Ohio State and at home against Michigan. The other two are at Nebraska and at home against Iowa.
What the Illini do in those games and the Big Ten tournament may decide whether Weber stays in Champaign. Being pretty good over the most of the last few seasons may not be good enough.
"I think the hardest part probably is that we've been so close over the last three seasons," Weber said. "I think that takes a toll on everybody."
-- David Mercer
Iowa's progress slowed by poor defense
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — With just six games left before the Big Ten tournament, Iowa has clearly made progress under coach Fran McCaffery.
The Hawkeyes (13-12, 5-7 Big Ten) have already won more games than they did in each of the previous two seasons, both overall and in the league, and a .500 finish in the Big Ten remains within reach.
Iowa might be in position to do even bigger things in McCaffery's second season if it wasn't for such a porous defense.
The Hawkeyes rank last in the Big Ten in scoring defense by nearly five points a game, and they're also bringing up the rear in field goal percentage defense. Shoddy defense has been a season-long trend for the Hawkeyes, one that has McCaffery searching for answers as they prepare to play Penn State (11-15, 3-10) on Thursday.
"We have some issues that we have to address. Sometimes you have to come at it in a different angle," McCaffery said.
The struggles came to a head — again — in an 83-64 loss last week to Northwestern, a game in which the Wildcats led by as many as 24 points. Northwestern attacked Iowa's soft defense right away, shooting 15 of 27 from the floor in the first half, and the Wildcats also got open enough to sink 13 3s on 25 tries.
What bothered McCaffery the most was Iowa was struggling defensively even before Northwestern made adjustments on offense.
"We had breakdowns early in that game, and I think that's one of the things that would concern any coach," McCaffery said. "The breakdowns that we had shouldn't have been occurring as early as they did in that game, and that was what was disappointing to me."
It was frustrating, too, because the Hawkeyes were coming off a pair of encouraging defensive efforts that led to victories.
Iowa rallied from a 10-point deficit and beat Minnesota 63-59 on Feb. 1 in large part because it held the Gophers scoreless over the final 3:24. The Hawkeyes then held Penn State to 26.7 percent shooting on Feb. 4, en route to a 17-point halftime lead and an easy 77-64 victory.
Of course, those two wins came after a defensive performance that was even worse than the one Iowa put on in Evanston.
The Hawkeyes allowed Indiana to grab 20 offensive rebounds and score 58 points in the paint in a 103-89 loss in Bloomington on Jan. 29. Bad defense seemed to be contagious in that one, though, and Indiana coach Tom Crean knows the Hoosiers will need a better defensive effort when they visit Iowa City on Sunday.
"When we get to Iowa, we've got to be way better defensively. That's the bottom line," Crean said. "We've got to make sure that we understand that our defensive mindset, our defensive energy and most importantly, starting with defensive transition, have got to be really, really high."
Iowa shot 79 percent in the second half against the Hoosiers and still lost by 14 because of spotty defense. If the Hawkeyes can't quickly make major improvements, they'll likely be headed for their fifth straight losing season.
-- Luke Meredith
Vols building momentum in season's final stretch
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee is playing its best basketball of the season and is poised to close out the regular season on a run.
Five of the Volunteers' last six games are against teams whose records in the Southeastern Conference are the same as theirs or worse.
"I look at the SEC standings all the time because that's most important for us and where we're going," coach Cuonzo Martin said. "As a coach, as long as you're making progress then things eventually fall in place."
The Vols (13-12, 5-5) were picked to finish 11th in the SEC but are currently in a four-way tie for fifth place, even after playing five games against ranked opponents last month.
In the next week, Tennessee will face the three teams it's currently tied with: Arkansas (17-8, 5-5) at home Wednesday night, followed by a trip to Alabama on Saturday and then Mississippi at home on Feb. 22.
Tennessee is heading into the stretch on a three-game winning streak that included their first road win, a 75-70 victory at Florida on Saturday that helped drop the Gators from No. 8 to No. 14 in the AP Top 25. Martin said the game was the Vols' most complete effort of the season, with a strong shooting performance complementing a tough defensive attack.
"You always want to get better later — it's nice to be good at the beginning as well — but our guys certainly are making strides at getting better, playing with a level of confidence, playing with each other," Martin said.
With a run at the end of the season, a seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament isn't completely out of the question for Tennessee. Though an NIT bid is more likely, Martin thinks a strong showing in the SEC, which includes No. 1 Kentucky, should be enough to attract the attention of the NCAA selection committee.
"I don't really talk to them about it but if you win your next five, I don't think there's any question," he said. "But you never know, and once again there's no set criteria to say, 'this, this, this.' You just have to do your job and put in work, and when Selection Sunday comes if you're part of it, then you're part of it."
Tennessee has played especially well at home during conference play, with its only loss coming at the hands of Kentucky. The Vols are holding foes to 57.8 points per game at home during SEC play and have a plus-10.2 scoring margin in all games at Thompson-Boling Arena.
That's not exactly what the Razorbacks want to hear. While the Hogs are undefeated on their own home court, they've lost all seven of their road games this season, and coach Mike Anderson knows Knoxville won't be an easy place to reverse that trend.
"I'll tell you what, Tennessee has been playing some pretty impressive basketball," Anderson said. "They lost some games early on, but they play tough defense. They get in the passing lanes. They really attacked the glass on Florida. They play with a toughness that you have to have on the road. That's what we're looking for: toughness throughout the 40 minutes. And get off to a good start. That's going to be a big key for our team."
Like the Vols, Arkansas has relied on a stingy defense this season. The Razorbacks lead the SEC in 3-point field-goal defense (26.3 percent), steals per game (9.3) and turnover margin (plus-4) thanks to their press.
"For those guys, it's constant," Martin said. "It's from start to finish. It's not a case of, 'Well, let's press a couple of possessions and see how they handle it.' They're pressing the whole game. They will run and jump at you. They won't allow you to let up, so you have to really do a good job of attacking the rim under control."
-- Beth Rucker
Arkansas' Mitchell transitions from QB to hoops
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Brandon Mitchell is accustomed to filling in when needed at Arkansas.
Mitchell, a sophomore guard, is also a backup quarterback for the Razorbacks. He joined the basketball team following the football team's Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State on Jan. 6. It's the second time he has taken to the hard court at Arkansas, following a brief stint as a freshman two years ago.
Much like the first time when he saw action in four games, Mitchell's impact appeared as though it would be limited in nature this go-around. The 6-foot-4 Mitchell was a standout basketball player in high school in Louisiana, resulting in a scholarship offer from LSU, but his game had evolved through football workouts since and he is now more suited to interior play after bulking up to 230 pounds.
Still, Arkansas coach Mike Anderson saw an opportunity for Mitchell to contribute to a roster depleted by injuries. What Anderson saw, after Mitchell worked himself into basketball shape, was more than just another practice body. Anderson saw a natural leader.
"In practice, he's been doing some things that will catch your eye," Anderson said. "He has a good feel for the game. I think for a guy that plays the quarterback (position), he's been in that leadership role. He talks to these guys and they listen."
Over the weekend, he did more than talk.
Following a shoulder injury to starting forward Michael Sanchez, Arkansas (17-8, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) entered the South Carolina game Saturday with just eight healthy scholarship players. And making matters worse, forward Hunter Mickelson was saddled with two quick first-half fouls.
Enter Mitchell, who had played four minutes in three previous games.
The quarterback looked every bit like a natural to SEC basketball, finishing with career highs in points (eight), rebounds (four) and minutes (16). Mitchell was particularly effective in the first half with Mickelson on the bench, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds as the Razorbacks began to pull away and improved to 17-0 in Bud Walton Arena this season with a 76-65 win.
"It was great," Mitchell said. "I hope it continues. I want to do whatever I can to help the team win. ... I feel very comfortable. It's a lot easier than when I first started. I'm obviously in basketball shape and it feels a lot better."
Mitchell spent most of his time close to the basket against taller players from South Carolina, but that didn't stop his production. He scored in the first half on a putback, a jumper near the free throw line and a dunk during an 11-0 Arkansas run to close the first half.
His teammates took notice of the energy Mitchell brought, and his fearlessness while playing against taller players.
"I guess the whole football thing, him playing football, really helps his basketball game because he's a physical guy," Arkansas forward Marvell Waithe said. "I mean, he's probably one of the most physical guys out here. Regardless of his height, it really shows what he's made of."
Mitchell saw limited action during the football season while backing up first-team All-SEC quarterback Tyler Wilson. Mitchell competed against Wilson for the starting job until late during preseason practice, and he finished 22 of 32 passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
He also saw action in the Razorbacks' goal line formation, rushing 15 times for 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Despite his time with basketball, Mitchell is still taking part in his full complement of offseason football workouts and plans to continue playing for Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino. He juggles both sports and 15 hours of classes, calling the schedule "exhausting."
Still, he loves it and has found a role in Anderson's up-tempo system — which he said resembles the style of play he took part in high school. Mitchell has also learned how to bring some of his football skills to the basketball court.
"It's just something I take from football, being a quarterback," Mitchell said. "You're out there on the field and responsible for 10 other guys. You've got to be the coach on the field. That's something I take pride in."
-- Kurt Voigt
Mississippi State trying to correct poor defense
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State's inconsistency in Southeastern Conference play this season can be traced back to one major flaw — poor defense.
So as the Bulldogs (19-6, 6-4 SEC) prepare for a two-game road trip that begins tomorrow against LSU (14-10, 4-6), coach Rick Stansbury is trying to make some adjustments following a stunning 70-68 home loss to Georgia on Saturday.
"Sometimes (the defense) has been good, but the consistency is not where we want it to be," Stansbury said. "You've got to rebound and defend on the road."
Ten games into the league schedule, the numbers are ugly. The Bulldogs are giving up 71.8 points per game, which ranks 11th out of 12 teams. Opponents are shooting 46.3 percent from the floor (10th place), including a whopping 41.6 percent (12th) from 3-point range. Mississippi State has also forced just 79 turnovers, which is easily the worst mark in the league.
The problems are surprising considering there's no obvious reason the Bulldogs should be struggling. They have three athletic perimeter defenders in Dee Bost, Brian Bryant and Rodney Hood and also one of the league's biggest frontcourts with Arnett Moultrie (6-foot-11), Renardo Sidney (6-10) and Wendell Lewis (6-9) patrolling the paint.
But a lack of depth has taken a toll.
Stansbury has routinely played with a seven or eight-man rotation, leading to a heavy load for Bost, Moultrie and Hood, who rank first, second and third, respectively, in the SEC in minutes played per game. Not only is fatigue a factor, but there's also some hesitation to contest shots because there aren't many options on the bench if someone gets into foul trouble.
Stansbury agrees his team has to pick its spots, but that doesn't explain the consistent issues.
"There's been times that our lack of depth has caused problems late in games fatigue-wise," Stansbury said. "But you've got to find a way to push through it down the stretch."
Mississippi State's latest loss to Georgia caused the program to drop from the AP's top 25 for the first time since November. Though the Bulldogs still appear to have a good shot at making the NCAA tournament, they can't afford many more missteps.
"We have to bounce back and I feel like we de?nitely still have what it takes," Bost said. "We just have to keep pushing forward for the rest of the season."
Beating LSU won't be easy. Though the Tigers are below .500 in the SEC, they've won four of their five home games in league play. LSU fought Mississippi State until the final seconds on Jan. 25 in Starkville before eventually losing 76-71.
LSU coach Trent Johnson said his team's good health is crucial going into the regular season's final three weeks. Justin Hamilton, a 7-foot-0 transfer from Iowa State, is averaging a team-high 13.8 points per game, but the Tigers also have a deep bench, which could be very useful when trying to wear down the Bulldogs.
"I'm just looking forward here to having everyone because, obviously, we're playing a team that's one of the most talented in this league," Johnson said.
Stansbury said he was relying on Bost, his senior point guard, to be the "head of the snake" and help the Bulldogs bounce back.
"We're going to play a really good LSU team — they're much improved and they're good," Stansbury said. "Coming off a win or a loss it's a huge challenge either way. When you get on the road everybody's good. There's just no margin for error."
-- David Brandt
No general public tickets left for Arkansas game
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — There are no general public tickets left for Arkansas' Southeastern Conference game on Saturday against Florida.
Officials said Tuesday it's the second time this season that all general public tickets have been sold for a men's basketball game. The other game was against Michigan.
Student tickets not claimed by Razorback Access Pass holders will be made available to the general student body.
Arkansas (17-8, 5-5 SEC) already has set a school record with a 17-0 mark at Bud Walton Arena this season. The Razorbacks play Wednesday at Tennessee before returning home to face the Gators. Saturday's game tips off at 5 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
Athletes from Western, LC honored by Frontier
WHITEFISH, Mont. (AP) — Athletes from Montana Western and Lewis-Clark State are the Frontier Conference basketball players of the week.
Western forward Kyle Erickson won the men's award. The senior from Broadview averaged 31.5 points, 12 rebounds, 4.5 assists and two steals per game as the Bulldogs beat No. 13 Montana State-Northern 89-75 and Great Falls 66-63.
Lewis-Clark State post Alyssa Fierro won the women's award. The senior from Bigfork averaged 14 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and one steal per game as eighth-ranked LC State beat Carroll College 67-50 and Rocky Mountain 67-62.
Wyoming hosts Air Force on Wednesday night
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming will look to break out of a fourth-place tie in the Mountain West standings on Wednesday when the Cowboys host Air Force. Game time is set for 6 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium.
UW (18-6, 4-4) is tied with Colorado State and TCU at 4-4 in the league. The Cowboys beat the Falcons in their previous meeting this season.
Wyoming is coming off a loss at New Mexico last Saturday. Air Force enters the week tied with Boise State for last in the league standings at 1-7 in conference play and 11-11 overall.
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Big South looking for home to basketball tourney
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Big South Conference is looking for a home for its men's and women's basketball tournaments beginning in 2013.
The conference office sent out inquires about two weeks ago to all Big South schools and potential neutral site locations such as Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Salem, Va., Charleston, S.C., Greenville, S.C. and Myrtle Beach, S.C., according to Commissioner Kyle Kallander.
The commissioner said the goal is to find the perfect mutual site for the men's and women's tournament for the next three years. The site would host the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. The preliminary games leading up to the quarterfinals would still be played on campus sites.
The women's tournament is currently held in High Point, but the men's tournament site is determined annually based on the highest seed.
For years the conference has allowed the men's basketball regular season champion to host the tournament's quarterfinals and semifinals. The top remaining seed in the finals plays host to the championship game with a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line in the first weekend of March, which means the tournament can shift quickly to another site if the No. 1 seed doesn't reach the championship game.
"By combining the two tournaments in one city it would enable fans to see both the men and the women at the same time and celebrate Big South basketball," Kallander said.
This year UNC-Asheville's men team has already secured the No. 1 seed entering the tournament.
However, there was some controversy over whether or not they'd be allowed to host the championship game because the campus was already playing host to the Southern Conference women's basketball championship. UNC-Asheville successfully petitioned the league to allow it to host the championships game, but only after the Southern Conference agreed to move one of its quarterfinal games to a different site.
The new scenario in which the site of the final three rounds would be pre-determined would avoid such a problem in the future.
"Every year we have talked about our format," Kallander said. "We've talked about what is right for us and playing at a neutral site and different ideas. Our membership just felt it was the right time to go back to a pre-determined location."
Kallander wouldn't say where he expects the tournament to land, but said striking a three-year agreement is a necessity.
Charlotte is considered a strong candidate because of its location and size. It's also where the Big South Conference headquarters are located.
The deadline for interested applicants to submit bids to host the tournament is April 15.
Presidents of Big South Conference schools will award the tournament to a city in late May.
"There are a number of things we will look at, not just the best financial deal," Kallander said. "We want to go where tournament will be most successful. We want a bidder who'll provide the very best experience for student athletes."
-- Steve Reed
