USF routs North Texas in CBI finals opener
Chase Foster and Jordan Ratinho each scored 17 points, and USF rode a fast start to a 72-62 victory over North Texas in Game 1 of the best-of-three College Basketball Invitational final on Monday night.
The series shifts to Texas for Game 2 on Wednesday night and then Game 3 on Friday if necessary.
Frankie Ferrari added 13 points and nine assists for the Dons (22-15), who built an 18-point lead in the first half behind sharp shooting and then held on in a rough second half offensively.
Roosevelt Smart scored 15 points and Zachary Simmons had 22 rebounds for the Mean Green (18-18), who had scored at least 90 points in each of the first three games of the tournament.
North Texas cut San Francisco’s lead to eight late in the second half and had the ball with a chance to get closer before the Dons seized momentum.
After Ryan Woolridge turned the ball over in the lane, Ferrari fed Matt McCarthy for a dunk that made it 63-53 with three minutes to go.
Smart then missed a layup and USF answered with a 3-pointer from Foster. CHANGES FOR WCC >> The West Coast Conference is altering its scheduling with the hope of getting better treatment in terms of seeding and at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament.
The changes come just weeks after Gonzaga only got a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament despite finishing the season ranked eighth in the nation and No. 25 Saint Mary’s was denied an at-large bid for the fourth time in 10 years despite winning 25 games.
The WCC Presidents’ Council announced that the 10-team league, which also includes Santa Clara, will go to a 16game schedule next season instead of an 18-game double round-robin.
Also starting in 2019-20, all WCC schools will be required to play a multi-team event each season, play more home games that road games, and play no more than two non-Division I opponents. The league also must approve all “guarantee” games when a WCC school is paid to play on the road by an opponent.
The league also is changing the format of the men’s and women’s tournaments. The seventh through 10th seeds will play in the opening round with the two winners meeting the fifth and sixth in the second round. The winners of those games will play the third and fourth seeds in the third round. The top two seeds will get byes straight to the semifinals
HIGH POINT HIRES SMITH >> Tubby Smith
is back in the college coaching ranks after a brief hiatus, agreeing to take over as head men’s basketball coach at High Point. Smith played for High Point from 1969-73 and was fired two weeks ago by Memphis.
The school has scheduled a news conference today on campus to introduce its new coach.
It’s the seventh Division I head coaching job for the 66-year-old Smith and his fourth since 2013. He went 40-26 in two seasons with the Tigers, including 21-13 this season, but was fired amid dropping attendance and donations to the athletic department.
Smith is 597-302 and won a national title with Kentucky in 1998.
NBA DRAFT DECISIONS >> Ohio State star forward Keita Bates-Diop is headed to the NBA following a breakout season.
The 6-foot-7 forward was the Big Ten’s player of the year. He averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds and is projected to be a first-round pick in the draft.
• UCLA guard Aaron Holiday says he will forgo his senior year to enter the NBA draft. The junior averaged a Pac-12-leading 20.3 points this season, to go with a teamhigh 5.8 assists per game and 3.7 rebounds.
• Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr., a 6-foot10 forward declared for the NBA draft after an injury-plagued freshman season
• Arkansas forward Daniel Gafford, projected as a possible first-round pick, will return to the Razorbacks next season, ending speculation about whether the freshman would leave for the NBA after one year in college.
IOWA’S MCCAFFREY GETS WAIVER >> Iowa point guard Connor McCaffery has been granted a hardship waiver by the Big Ten, leaving him with four seasons of eligibility remaining.
He played just four games as a true freshman, with ailments that included a sprained ankle, mononucleosis and a tonsillectomy.