FIBA Basketball
FRA - Noah, Florida still afloat in NCAA Tournament after big win
JACKSONVILLE (NCAA) - Is Joakim Noah good enough to merit consideration for France's squad at the FIBA World Championship? You better believe he is! Noah, the 21-year-old son of French tennis legend Yannick Noah
JACKSONVILLE (NCAA) - Is Joakim Noah good enough to merit consideration for France's squad at the FIBA World Championship?
You better believe he is!
Noah, the 21-year-old son of French tennis legend Yannick Noah, scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out a career-high seven assists and Lee Humphrey nailed six three-pointers en route to 20 points as the Florida Gators routed South Alabama, 76-50, in a first-round matchup in the Minneapolis Region.
Al Horford added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Gators (28-6), who will meet Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the second round Saturday.
"I think our team played hungry today," said Noah, a power forward who also had five blocks. "We still got a long way to go, hopefully. We just gotta play possession by possession."
South Florida showcased their 6ft 7in forward from Brazil, Leandro Buboltz, who had 14 points. Buboltz played high school basketball at Godofredo Furtado in Sao Paulo, Brazil where he holds the record for most three-pointers in a game with eight. He transferred to South Alabama in the summer from South Plains (Texas) College and, like Gonzaga center JP Batista, could end up representing his country in the future.
Florida will play Wisconsin-Milwaukee next because also in Jacksonville, Boo Davis, Joah Tucker and Wisconsin-Milwaukee picked up where they left off last year in the NCAA Tournament. Davis scored 26 points and Tucker 24 as the 11th-seeded Panthers upset number six Oklahoma, 82-74, in a first-round game in the Minneapolis Region.
Also in Jacksonville, Glen Davis scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half and fourth-seeded LSU pulled away in the closing minutes to post an 80-64 victory over Iona in a first-round matchup in the Atlanta Region.
Davis to coach at least one more game for Hoosiers
Sophomore Robert Vaden would not let Indiana coach Mike Davis end his tenure with a one-and-done in the NCAA Tournament.
Vaden hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 3.3 seconds left to lift the sixth-seeded Hoosiers to an 87-83 victory over number 11 San Diego State in the first round of the Oakland Region.
With the win, Indiana (19-11) advanced to the second round to face All-American Adam Morrison and third-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday. The Bulldogs advanced earlier by edging Xavier, 79-75.
Davis, who led the Hoosiers to the 2002 championship game before falling to Maryland, will resign at the end of the season, but not before coaching at least one more "Big Dance" contest.
Vaden, Earl Calloway and Marco Killingsworth each scored 18 points for Indiana, which battled back in the second half from a double-digit deficit.
"The last three weeks have really helped this basketball team win a basketball game like this," said Davis, who improved to 7-3 in the tournament. "We've been in a situation the last three weeks where if we lose, we are probably out of the tournament. That situation has really helped us."
GW survive, next face Duke
Maureece Rice and Carl Elliott led an impressive comeback for George Washington as they avoided a first-round exit against UNC-Wilmington.
Rice scored 20 and Elliott added 10 of his 15 points after half-time as the eighth-seeded Colonials rallied from an 18-point, second-half deficit to post an 88-85 overtime triumph over ninth-seeded UNC-Wilmington in an NCAA first-round matchup in the Atlanta region.
Despite being the 11th ranked team in the country, George Washington (27-2) was given its low seed because of a weak schedule and a first-round loss in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
The Seahawks (25-8) seemed to be in control of this one as they made 10 of their first 12 shots in the second half. TJ Carter, who scored 22 of his 25 points after the break, had 12 points during a 28-10 charge to give UNC-Wilmington a 64-46 lead with 11 minutes remaining in regulation.
In San Diego, steady play by Brandon Roy helped Washington hold off a number of comeback attempts by Utah State. Roy scored 28 points and Jamaal Williams added 15 to lead the fifth-seeded Huskies to a 75-61 triumph over the number 12 Aggies in a first-round matchup in the Washington, DC Region.
The Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, Roy made 11 of 20 shots - including four three-pointers - and added six assists for Washington (25-6), which will meet fourth-seeded Illinois on Saturday.
Also in San Diego, freshman Jamar Smith made his first NCAA Tournament appearance seem like just another day in the gym. Smith scored 20 points, including six three-pointers, and Brian Randle added 15 for fourth-seeded Illinois in a 78-69 victory over number 13 Air Force in a first-round game in the Washington, DC Region.
Having shot 48.8% (60 of 123) from the arc to lead the Big Ten, Smith topped the Fighting Illini (26-6) in scoring for the second time this season and led them to a second-round meeting against fifth-seeded Washington on Saturday.
Feel-good factor over for 'Cuse, McNamara
Acie Law and Texas A&M put an emphatic end to Syracuse's magical run and Gerry McNamara's legendary career. Law scored 12 of his 23 points in the final two and a half minutes as the 12th-seeded Aggies upset the number five Orange, 66-58, in a first-round game in the Atlanta region.
Syracuse (23-12) captured the Big East championship in improbable fashion last week with four victories - including three over ranked teams - by a combined eight points. As he was his entire career, McNamara emerged as the hero for Syracuse, hitting an assortment of clutch shots, including the game-winning three-pointer against Cincinnati and a game-tying shot from the arc against top-ranked Connecticut.
One of the most beloved players in the Syracuse history, McNamara's career could not have ended in more disappointing fashion. The last remaining regular from the Orange's 2003 national championship team, McNamara scored only two points and missed all six of his shots from the floor, finishing without a basket for the first time in his 135-game career.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim had nothing but praise for a player who has meant so much to the programme.
"His legacy will be left at Syracuse for winning 103 games and winning the national championship, two Big East regular-season championships and two Big East tournament championships," Boeheim said.
The school's all-time leader in minutes, three-pointers and free-throw percentage, McNamara played only 23 minutes in this one as he clearly was bothered by a hamstring injury suffered in the Big East tournament.
"He's a great player," Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie said. "I'm sure (his injury) changed some of their game plan. I know they wanted to get him back in the game, and we're glad they didn't him back in the game. But I hope he's okay."
In Salt Lake City, Andrew Strait and Virgil Matthews helped 12th-seeded Montana win an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 31 years. Strait scored 22 points and Matthews added 20 as the Grizzlies posted an 87-79 victory over fifth-seeded Nevada in the first round of the Minneapolis Region.
In Greensboro, the combination of Sean Ogirri outside and Paul Miller inside gave Wichita State its first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years. Ogirri drilled six three-pointers and finished with 23 points and Miller added 15 as the seventh-seeded Shockers rolled to an 86-66 victory over 10th-seeded Seton Hall in the first round of the Washington Region.
Jean Felix set a school record with eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 31 points to lead 10th-seeded Alabama to a 90-85 victory over seventh-seeded Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Oakland Region in San Diego.
By PA Sport
You better believe he is!
Noah, the 21-year-old son of French tennis legend Yannick Noah, scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out a career-high seven assists and Lee Humphrey nailed six three-pointers en route to 20 points as the Florida Gators routed South Alabama, 76-50, in a first-round matchup in the Minneapolis Region.
Al Horford added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Gators (28-6), who will meet Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the second round Saturday.
"I think our team played hungry today," said Noah, a power forward who also had five blocks. "We still got a long way to go, hopefully. We just gotta play possession by possession."
South Florida showcased their 6ft 7in forward from Brazil, Leandro Buboltz, who had 14 points. Buboltz played high school basketball at Godofredo Furtado in Sao Paulo, Brazil where he holds the record for most three-pointers in a game with eight. He transferred to South Alabama in the summer from South Plains (Texas) College and, like Gonzaga center JP Batista, could end up representing his country in the future.
Florida will play Wisconsin-Milwaukee next because also in Jacksonville, Boo Davis, Joah Tucker and Wisconsin-Milwaukee picked up where they left off last year in the NCAA Tournament. Davis scored 26 points and Tucker 24 as the 11th-seeded Panthers upset number six Oklahoma, 82-74, in a first-round game in the Minneapolis Region.
Also in Jacksonville, Glen Davis scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half and fourth-seeded LSU pulled away in the closing minutes to post an 80-64 victory over Iona in a first-round matchup in the Atlanta Region.
Davis to coach at least one more game for Hoosiers
Sophomore Robert Vaden would not let Indiana coach Mike Davis end his tenure with a one-and-done in the NCAA Tournament.
Vaden hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 3.3 seconds left to lift the sixth-seeded Hoosiers to an 87-83 victory over number 11 San Diego State in the first round of the Oakland Region.
With the win, Indiana (19-11) advanced to the second round to face All-American Adam Morrison and third-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday. The Bulldogs advanced earlier by edging Xavier, 79-75.
Davis, who led the Hoosiers to the 2002 championship game before falling to Maryland, will resign at the end of the season, but not before coaching at least one more "Big Dance" contest.
Vaden, Earl Calloway and Marco Killingsworth each scored 18 points for Indiana, which battled back in the second half from a double-digit deficit.
"The last three weeks have really helped this basketball team win a basketball game like this," said Davis, who improved to 7-3 in the tournament. "We've been in a situation the last three weeks where if we lose, we are probably out of the tournament. That situation has really helped us."
GW survive, next face Duke
Maureece Rice and Carl Elliott led an impressive comeback for George Washington as they avoided a first-round exit against UNC-Wilmington.
Rice scored 20 and Elliott added 10 of his 15 points after half-time as the eighth-seeded Colonials rallied from an 18-point, second-half deficit to post an 88-85 overtime triumph over ninth-seeded UNC-Wilmington in an NCAA first-round matchup in the Atlanta region.
Despite being the 11th ranked team in the country, George Washington (27-2) was given its low seed because of a weak schedule and a first-round loss in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
The Seahawks (25-8) seemed to be in control of this one as they made 10 of their first 12 shots in the second half. TJ Carter, who scored 22 of his 25 points after the break, had 12 points during a 28-10 charge to give UNC-Wilmington a 64-46 lead with 11 minutes remaining in regulation.
In San Diego, steady play by Brandon Roy helped Washington hold off a number of comeback attempts by Utah State. Roy scored 28 points and Jamaal Williams added 15 to lead the fifth-seeded Huskies to a 75-61 triumph over the number 12 Aggies in a first-round matchup in the Washington, DC Region.
The Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, Roy made 11 of 20 shots - including four three-pointers - and added six assists for Washington (25-6), which will meet fourth-seeded Illinois on Saturday.
Also in San Diego, freshman Jamar Smith made his first NCAA Tournament appearance seem like just another day in the gym. Smith scored 20 points, including six three-pointers, and Brian Randle added 15 for fourth-seeded Illinois in a 78-69 victory over number 13 Air Force in a first-round game in the Washington, DC Region.
Having shot 48.8% (60 of 123) from the arc to lead the Big Ten, Smith topped the Fighting Illini (26-6) in scoring for the second time this season and led them to a second-round meeting against fifth-seeded Washington on Saturday.
Feel-good factor over for 'Cuse, McNamara
Acie Law and Texas A&M put an emphatic end to Syracuse's magical run and Gerry McNamara's legendary career. Law scored 12 of his 23 points in the final two and a half minutes as the 12th-seeded Aggies upset the number five Orange, 66-58, in a first-round game in the Atlanta region.
Syracuse (23-12) captured the Big East championship in improbable fashion last week with four victories - including three over ranked teams - by a combined eight points. As he was his entire career, McNamara emerged as the hero for Syracuse, hitting an assortment of clutch shots, including the game-winning three-pointer against Cincinnati and a game-tying shot from the arc against top-ranked Connecticut.
One of the most beloved players in the Syracuse history, McNamara's career could not have ended in more disappointing fashion. The last remaining regular from the Orange's 2003 national championship team, McNamara scored only two points and missed all six of his shots from the floor, finishing without a basket for the first time in his 135-game career.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim had nothing but praise for a player who has meant so much to the programme.
"His legacy will be left at Syracuse for winning 103 games and winning the national championship, two Big East regular-season championships and two Big East tournament championships," Boeheim said.
The school's all-time leader in minutes, three-pointers and free-throw percentage, McNamara played only 23 minutes in this one as he clearly was bothered by a hamstring injury suffered in the Big East tournament.
"He's a great player," Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie said. "I'm sure (his injury) changed some of their game plan. I know they wanted to get him back in the game, and we're glad they didn't him back in the game. But I hope he's okay."
In Salt Lake City, Andrew Strait and Virgil Matthews helped 12th-seeded Montana win an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 31 years. Strait scored 22 points and Matthews added 20 as the Grizzlies posted an 87-79 victory over fifth-seeded Nevada in the first round of the Minneapolis Region.
In Greensboro, the combination of Sean Ogirri outside and Paul Miller inside gave Wichita State its first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years. Ogirri drilled six three-pointers and finished with 23 points and Miller added 15 as the seventh-seeded Shockers rolled to an 86-66 victory over 10th-seeded Seton Hall in the first round of the Washington Region.
Jean Felix set a school record with eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 31 points to lead 10th-seeded Alabama to a 90-85 victory over seventh-seeded Marquette in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's Oakland Region in San Diego.
By PA Sport