UNC's Bradley to miss game vs. FSU
January 13, 2017
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) North Carolina freshman Tony Bradley Jr. won't play Saturday for the 11th-ranked Tar Heels against No. 9 Florida State due to a concussion.
The team tweeted from its official account Friday that Bradley was ''improving'' but it's unclear when he can return. Team spokesman Matt Bowers says the 6-foot-11 native of Bartow, Florida has yet to be cleared for any basketball-related activities.
Bradley was hurt Wednesday at Wake Forest when fell to the court after a collision in the lane and appeared to smack the back of his head on the floor.
Bradley is averaging 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game off the bench for the Tar Heels, who have a quick turnaround after the FSU game by hosting Syracuse on Monday.
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Big showdown pits Gonzaga, St Mary's
January 13, 2017
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Fifth-ranked Gonzaga typically doesn't get tested much after West Coast Conference play begins. But the undefeated Bulldogs face one of their biggest remaining challenges when No. 21 Saint Mary's visits on Saturday.
The Zags (16-0, 4-0 West Coast) are the last remaining undefeated team in the nation, and they have romped through their first four conference games, winning by an average of more than 25 points.
Saint Mary's figures to be a bit tougher. The Gaels actually dealt Gonzaga a rare home loss last season.
''That sticks with you,'' guard Silas Melson said. ''It hurts when somebody comes into your house and takes your win away from you.''
But Melson admitted it is good to have a tough archrival in a league where Gonzaga often blows out opponents. The Bulldogs beat Loyola Marymount 93-55 on Thursday night for their 16th consecutive win, the longest streak in the nation.
''It makes it a lot more fun when you have a league game that's hyped up this much,'' Melson said.
Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski missed last season's games against Saint Mary's with injury, but the senior knows all about the rivalry.
''It's Saint Mary's,'' Karnowski said. ''They're either in front of us or behind us - mostly behind - but the rivalry is there.''
Added guard Josh Perkins: ''This is definitely a game we circle on our calendars.''
Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett is fielding perhaps his best team at the school. The Gaels (15-1, 5-0 WCC) beat Portland 74-33 on Thursday night.
Gonzaga will visit Saint Mary's on Feb. 11. There's a pretty good chance the teams will meet a third time in the conference tournament in Las Vegas.
While Saint Mary's is a veteran team that returned nearly its entire roster from last season, Gonzaga started the season with a lot of newcomers.
Three starters - Nigel Williams-Goss, Jordan Mathews and Johnathan Williams - are transfers who are in their first season playing for the Zags. Freshmen Zach Collins and Killian Tillie are key contributors off the bench.
All five of those players have yet to lose in a Gonzaga uniform.
Williams-Goss, who played his first two seasons at Washington, this week was named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list. The award is presented to the nation's most outstanding basketball player.
Williams-Goss leads Gonzaga in scoring (15 points per game), rebounds (6.1 per game), assists (4.8 per game) and steals (1.7 per game).
He said there is no doubt he made the right decision to transfer across the state.
''Since day one, I feel like it is a perfect fit,'' he said.
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Vols, Vandy looking to bounce back
January 13, 2017
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee and Vanderbilt are dealing with growing pains that have left both programs in serious need of a victory.
Vanderbilt is adapting to a new coaching staff, while Tennessee is relying heavily on first-year players. The in-state rivals carry .500 records into Saturday's matchup in Nashville.
Tennessee (8-8, 1-3 SEC) has lost three straight. Vanderbilt (8-8, 2-2) has dropped its last two games.
''I wouldn't say it's back-to-the-wall (time), but I would say this could be a big turning point for us,'' Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield said. ''It could go either north or south. But at the same time, with the capabilities of this team, we could turn it around at any moment.''
That goes for both teams, though their struggles shouldn't come as a surprise.
New Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew inherited a team that had to replace first-round draft picks Wade Baldwin IV and Damian Jones. Tennessee is frequently starting three freshmen and just lost guard Detrick Mostella, who was dismissed from the team Tuesday.
Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-pointers per game (10.1) and 3-point percentage (.394), but defense has been an issue. Vanderbilt ranks 13th in the conference in field-goal percentage defense (.431) and blocks (3.8) and is last in the league in steals (4.3).
In their last two games, the Commodores squandered a 14-point lead in a 59-56 loss at Alabama and gave No. 6 Kentucky a scare before falling 87--81 .
''We're not really into moral victories at this point in the season,'' Drew said. ''We want wins.''
Tennessee provided some cause for optimism by winning its SEC opener at Texas A&M, which reached an NCAA regional semifinal and won a share of the league's regular-season title last year. But the Vols haven't won since.
The Volunteers now must find someone to replace the production of Mostella, who was averaging 10.5 points per game and had a team-high 26 3-pointers.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said after a 70-60 loss to South Carolina on Wednesday that Mostella was a ''feast or famine'' player who often struggled against the type of pressure the Gamecocks provide. But the Vols' 22 turnovers and 1-of-11 performance from 3-point range in that game showed they need someone to boost the offense.
Schofield noted that Tennessee often shows more energy in practice than in games, which may be a product of the Vols' youth.
''We've got to get our guys I think a little bit more emotional, a bit more involved with each other and not being afraid to say something to their teammate and their teammate accept it, and vice versa if somebody says something back,'' Barnes said. ''I think the best teams are the ones that really talk and communicate and the ones that hold each other to a really high standard on the court.''
Barnes was coaching Clemson in the 1990s when he recruited Drew, who ended up playing for his father at Valparaiso instead.
Although this marks the first time these two coaches have faced off, there's plenty of history between the two rosters. Vanderbilt has won its last three regular-season meetings with Tennessee. But the Vols have eliminated Vanderbilt from the SEC tournament each of the last two years.
Perhaps this rivalry will bring out the best in both teams.
''Besides the records, it's a big game because it's the battle for the state of Tennessee,'' Schofield said. ''We know how important that is for our fans, our boosters and the coaching staff.
''One thing we talked about this week is having pride - we haven't played with much pride on the court - and representing that `T,' that `Power T' as best as we can. This week we're going to try to change the culture around and go out and play with a little bit of swagger and be more aggressive and stop being so passive on the court.''
-------------------------------
Rest of Cuse's season may be a struggle
January 13, 2017
As the college basketball season progresses toward March, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is still searching for answers to his team's struggles.
Nearly a year after making a surprising run to the Final Four for the fifth time in his 41-year career, the Hall of Fame coach is staring at a daunting schedule going forward.
Call it make-or-break time.
''We need to get better. That's what I can say for sure,'' Boeheim said.
Before the end of the month, the Orange (10-7, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has three straight games against ranked opponents - at No.11 North Carolina and No. 20 Notre Dame and a home game against No. 9 Florida State. The three had a combined record of 46-6 heading into this weekend.
After tinkering with his lineup, Boeheim guided Syracuse to convincing wins at home last week over Miami and Pittsburgh . The defense rose to the occasion and point guard John Gillon had 11 assists in each game to inject some needed confidence after a lackluster nonconference schedule that produced five losses.
Any hope that Boeheim had finally pieced together a lineup that would take care of the team's early-season problems was dashed on Tuesday night in a 10-point road loss to Virginia Tech. The Hokies shot nearly 50 percent from the floor while Gillon was 2-for-9 shooting in a performance that produced just three assists with two turnovers.
The most telling statistic of all, perhaps: Virginia Tech scored 17 points in transition to zero for Syracuse, a team that historically has thrived in transition.
''I think that they forgot we won two games in a row because our defense was good,'' Boeheim said. ''Our defense was horrendous, and our offense isn't going to quite be good enough to make up for that level of defense.''
The long-range offense certainly wasn't there, either. Syracuse was 5 of 17 (29.4 percent), a subpar performance for a team that has hit 154 3-pointers, second in the ACC to Notre Dame.
That forward Tyler Lydon, the team's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, was hurt early in the game didn't help, either. He came in averaging 13.5 points in league play but scored just two against the Hokies, hitting 1 of 5 from the floor in 29 minutes.
''He said he was all right,'' Boeheim said. ''Probably should have not played him. He didn't move very well.''
Syracuse returns to action on Saturday at home against Boston College (9-8, 2-2 ACC), and the memory of their first meeting of the season likely hasn't faded for either team. Two weeks ago in the Orange's ACC opener at BC, the Eagles trashed the Syracuse zone, hitting hit 16 of 26 shots from 3-point range in a 96-81 triumph.
BC is coming off a 74-66 win at home over North Carolina State on Thursday night. This clearly isn't the team that a year ago went 0-18 in the ACC during the regular season and lost its only conference tourney game. Jerome Robinson has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games and an ACC-best 13 times overall to rank third in conference scoring (20.9), and freshman Ky Bowman already is an Orange killer after hitting 7 of 8 from beyond the arc the first game.
And so it goes for the Orange, whose postseason hopes seem to be teetering. Still no lasting consistency.
''We did have a lot of potential coming into the year,'' said graduate transfer Andrew White, the team's leading scorer. ''But potential doesn't mean much when you don't execute to get the most out of what you have.'
January 13, 2017
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) North Carolina freshman Tony Bradley Jr. won't play Saturday for the 11th-ranked Tar Heels against No. 9 Florida State due to a concussion.
The team tweeted from its official account Friday that Bradley was ''improving'' but it's unclear when he can return. Team spokesman Matt Bowers says the 6-foot-11 native of Bartow, Florida has yet to be cleared for any basketball-related activities.
Bradley was hurt Wednesday at Wake Forest when fell to the court after a collision in the lane and appeared to smack the back of his head on the floor.
Bradley is averaging 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game off the bench for the Tar Heels, who have a quick turnaround after the FSU game by hosting Syracuse on Monday.
----------------------------
Big showdown pits Gonzaga, St Mary's
January 13, 2017
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Fifth-ranked Gonzaga typically doesn't get tested much after West Coast Conference play begins. But the undefeated Bulldogs face one of their biggest remaining challenges when No. 21 Saint Mary's visits on Saturday.
The Zags (16-0, 4-0 West Coast) are the last remaining undefeated team in the nation, and they have romped through their first four conference games, winning by an average of more than 25 points.
Saint Mary's figures to be a bit tougher. The Gaels actually dealt Gonzaga a rare home loss last season.
''That sticks with you,'' guard Silas Melson said. ''It hurts when somebody comes into your house and takes your win away from you.''
But Melson admitted it is good to have a tough archrival in a league where Gonzaga often blows out opponents. The Bulldogs beat Loyola Marymount 93-55 on Thursday night for their 16th consecutive win, the longest streak in the nation.
''It makes it a lot more fun when you have a league game that's hyped up this much,'' Melson said.
Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski missed last season's games against Saint Mary's with injury, but the senior knows all about the rivalry.
''It's Saint Mary's,'' Karnowski said. ''They're either in front of us or behind us - mostly behind - but the rivalry is there.''
Added guard Josh Perkins: ''This is definitely a game we circle on our calendars.''
Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett is fielding perhaps his best team at the school. The Gaels (15-1, 5-0 WCC) beat Portland 74-33 on Thursday night.
Gonzaga will visit Saint Mary's on Feb. 11. There's a pretty good chance the teams will meet a third time in the conference tournament in Las Vegas.
While Saint Mary's is a veteran team that returned nearly its entire roster from last season, Gonzaga started the season with a lot of newcomers.
Three starters - Nigel Williams-Goss, Jordan Mathews and Johnathan Williams - are transfers who are in their first season playing for the Zags. Freshmen Zach Collins and Killian Tillie are key contributors off the bench.
All five of those players have yet to lose in a Gonzaga uniform.
Williams-Goss, who played his first two seasons at Washington, this week was named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list. The award is presented to the nation's most outstanding basketball player.
Williams-Goss leads Gonzaga in scoring (15 points per game), rebounds (6.1 per game), assists (4.8 per game) and steals (1.7 per game).
He said there is no doubt he made the right decision to transfer across the state.
''Since day one, I feel like it is a perfect fit,'' he said.
--------------------------------
Vols, Vandy looking to bounce back
January 13, 2017
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee and Vanderbilt are dealing with growing pains that have left both programs in serious need of a victory.
Vanderbilt is adapting to a new coaching staff, while Tennessee is relying heavily on first-year players. The in-state rivals carry .500 records into Saturday's matchup in Nashville.
Tennessee (8-8, 1-3 SEC) has lost three straight. Vanderbilt (8-8, 2-2) has dropped its last two games.
''I wouldn't say it's back-to-the-wall (time), but I would say this could be a big turning point for us,'' Tennessee forward Admiral Schofield said. ''It could go either north or south. But at the same time, with the capabilities of this team, we could turn it around at any moment.''
That goes for both teams, though their struggles shouldn't come as a surprise.
New Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew inherited a team that had to replace first-round draft picks Wade Baldwin IV and Damian Jones. Tennessee is frequently starting three freshmen and just lost guard Detrick Mostella, who was dismissed from the team Tuesday.
Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-pointers per game (10.1) and 3-point percentage (.394), but defense has been an issue. Vanderbilt ranks 13th in the conference in field-goal percentage defense (.431) and blocks (3.8) and is last in the league in steals (4.3).
In their last two games, the Commodores squandered a 14-point lead in a 59-56 loss at Alabama and gave No. 6 Kentucky a scare before falling 87--81 .
''We're not really into moral victories at this point in the season,'' Drew said. ''We want wins.''
Tennessee provided some cause for optimism by winning its SEC opener at Texas A&M, which reached an NCAA regional semifinal and won a share of the league's regular-season title last year. But the Vols haven't won since.
The Volunteers now must find someone to replace the production of Mostella, who was averaging 10.5 points per game and had a team-high 26 3-pointers.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said after a 70-60 loss to South Carolina on Wednesday that Mostella was a ''feast or famine'' player who often struggled against the type of pressure the Gamecocks provide. But the Vols' 22 turnovers and 1-of-11 performance from 3-point range in that game showed they need someone to boost the offense.
Schofield noted that Tennessee often shows more energy in practice than in games, which may be a product of the Vols' youth.
''We've got to get our guys I think a little bit more emotional, a bit more involved with each other and not being afraid to say something to their teammate and their teammate accept it, and vice versa if somebody says something back,'' Barnes said. ''I think the best teams are the ones that really talk and communicate and the ones that hold each other to a really high standard on the court.''
Barnes was coaching Clemson in the 1990s when he recruited Drew, who ended up playing for his father at Valparaiso instead.
Although this marks the first time these two coaches have faced off, there's plenty of history between the two rosters. Vanderbilt has won its last three regular-season meetings with Tennessee. But the Vols have eliminated Vanderbilt from the SEC tournament each of the last two years.
Perhaps this rivalry will bring out the best in both teams.
''Besides the records, it's a big game because it's the battle for the state of Tennessee,'' Schofield said. ''We know how important that is for our fans, our boosters and the coaching staff.
''One thing we talked about this week is having pride - we haven't played with much pride on the court - and representing that `T,' that `Power T' as best as we can. This week we're going to try to change the culture around and go out and play with a little bit of swagger and be more aggressive and stop being so passive on the court.''
-------------------------------
Rest of Cuse's season may be a struggle
January 13, 2017
As the college basketball season progresses toward March, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is still searching for answers to his team's struggles.
Nearly a year after making a surprising run to the Final Four for the fifth time in his 41-year career, the Hall of Fame coach is staring at a daunting schedule going forward.
Call it make-or-break time.
''We need to get better. That's what I can say for sure,'' Boeheim said.
Before the end of the month, the Orange (10-7, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) has three straight games against ranked opponents - at No.11 North Carolina and No. 20 Notre Dame and a home game against No. 9 Florida State. The three had a combined record of 46-6 heading into this weekend.
After tinkering with his lineup, Boeheim guided Syracuse to convincing wins at home last week over Miami and Pittsburgh . The defense rose to the occasion and point guard John Gillon had 11 assists in each game to inject some needed confidence after a lackluster nonconference schedule that produced five losses.
Any hope that Boeheim had finally pieced together a lineup that would take care of the team's early-season problems was dashed on Tuesday night in a 10-point road loss to Virginia Tech. The Hokies shot nearly 50 percent from the floor while Gillon was 2-for-9 shooting in a performance that produced just three assists with two turnovers.
The most telling statistic of all, perhaps: Virginia Tech scored 17 points in transition to zero for Syracuse, a team that historically has thrived in transition.
''I think that they forgot we won two games in a row because our defense was good,'' Boeheim said. ''Our defense was horrendous, and our offense isn't going to quite be good enough to make up for that level of defense.''
The long-range offense certainly wasn't there, either. Syracuse was 5 of 17 (29.4 percent), a subpar performance for a team that has hit 154 3-pointers, second in the ACC to Notre Dame.
That forward Tyler Lydon, the team's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, was hurt early in the game didn't help, either. He came in averaging 13.5 points in league play but scored just two against the Hokies, hitting 1 of 5 from the floor in 29 minutes.
''He said he was all right,'' Boeheim said. ''Probably should have not played him. He didn't move very well.''
Syracuse returns to action on Saturday at home against Boston College (9-8, 2-2 ACC), and the memory of their first meeting of the season likely hasn't faded for either team. Two weeks ago in the Orange's ACC opener at BC, the Eagles trashed the Syracuse zone, hitting hit 16 of 26 shots from 3-point range in a 96-81 triumph.
BC is coming off a 74-66 win at home over North Carolina State on Thursday night. This clearly isn't the team that a year ago went 0-18 in the ACC during the regular season and lost its only conference tourney game. Jerome Robinson has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games and an ACC-best 13 times overall to rank third in conference scoring (20.9), and freshman Ky Bowman already is an Orange killer after hitting 7 of 8 from beyond the arc the first game.
And so it goes for the Orange, whose postseason hopes seem to be teetering. Still no lasting consistency.
''We did have a lot of potential coming into the year,'' said graduate transfer Andrew White, the team's leading scorer. ''But potential doesn't mean much when you don't execute to get the most out of what you have.'
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