Kansas, Iowa State to receive stern tests in and out of Big 12
The Final Four is making its way back to Houston in April. As the college basketball season unfolds, the path is laid out and the field wide-open for dozens of teams that yearn to be the last one standing at NRG Stadium on April 4. We’ll take a weekly look at what’s going on in the season.
1 Thrilling games
No. 19 Iowa State 82, No. 1 Oklahoma 77: The Sooners had been ranked at the top of the heap for only a few hours a week ago when the Cyclones reminded them life on the road in the Big 12 is rugged. California 74, No. 12 Arizona 73: Guard Jordan Mathews scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half, and freshman star Jaylen Brown sank a free throw with 18 seconds remaining Saturday to seal what Cal dubbed a “signature” victory under coach Cuonzo Martin. No. 17 Louisville 75, Georgia Tech 71: In a tight contest featuring 11 lead changes Saturday, the Cardinals were bailed out by a career-high 15 points from not-so-ballyhooed sophomore Anas Mahmoud. No. 16 Providence 71, Butler 68: In a top-20 showdown in Rhode Island on Tuesday, the Friars rallied to dump Butler for a second time this season. Ben Bentil scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half. Providence followed it up with an overtime win at Villanova on Sunday. 2 Postseason plans in peril
LSU: The Tigers own the nation’s top newcomer and perhaps top player in Ben Simmons but will
need to finish strong for the dynamic freshman to even taste the postseason in what’s likely his lone season in college. A win at Alabama on Saturday helped the cause of the 12-7 Tigers. Texas: The Longhorns were angling for an upset at Kansas on Saturday, and fell 76-67 to the No. 3 Jayhawks. UT is only 12-7 overall but has a couple of solid victories over North Carolina and Iowa State. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders and coach Tubby Smith will need to get things rolling in a hurry after a 2-5 start in Big 12 play. The last two losses by Tech, which owns a 10-game winning streak this season, have been by a combined seven points to ranked Baylor and West Virginia teams. Florida: The 13-6 Gators grew used to playing in the postseason, even winning a couple of titles with then-coach Billy Donovan, but will need a strong run over the last half of SEC play to make the NCAA Tournament under first-year coach Mike White.
3 Leading performers
Kevin Punter Jr., Tennessee: The senior guard has a better name for football, but don’t bother telling South Carolina as much. Punter scored a career-high 36 points in the Vols’ defeat of the Gamecocks on Saturday. Josh Ibarra, Houston Baptist: The sophomore center from Angleton scored 18 points, snagged a dozen rebounds and for good measure threw in five blocks in the surging Huskies’ 92-79 win at Lamar on Saturday. Jawun Evans, Oklahoma State: The freshman guard helped the Cowboys knock off No. 3 Kansas on Tuesday by scoring 22 points while adding eight assists and six rebounds. Clide Geffrard, Stephen F. Austin: The senior forward scored 19 points in the first half of the first-place Lumberjacks’ 76-64 defeat of rival Sam Houston State on Saturday. Even with only three points in the second half, he wound up with a career-high 22.
4 Top games to watch
No. 3 Kansas at No. 19 Iowa State, 8 p.m. Monday: The strong Big 12 has five teams in the top 20, and they’ve done a good job of beating up on each other. This one should be no different. No. 9 Iowa at No. 7 Maryland, 6 p.m. Thursday: The Terrapins and former Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon will try to rebound from a 7465 loss at No. 11 Michigan State on Saturday against a Hawkeyes team that is 7-0 in Big Ten play. No. 19 Iowa State at No. 10 Texas A&M, 1 p.m. Saturday: This nonconference collision in the Big 12/SEC Challenge has much more intrigue than it did when the Aggies were in the Big 12. No. 23 Kentucky at No. 3 Kansas, 6 p.m. Saturday: Two of the blue bloods (both wearing blue to boot) of basketball clash at Allen Fieldhouse. Nuf said.