Cnotes Top 25 College Basketball Previews For Saturday 02/25/16 !

[CNOTES]

Wichita State rolling and eyeing NCAAs
February 24, 2017


WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker only seemed as if they were at Wichita State forever.


The pair of guards led the Shockers to the Final Four. They put together an undefeated regular season and helped earn the team a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They led the program to heights folks in southeastern Kansas hadn't known since the 1960s, when Wichita State was a household name.


No wonder their graduation sent expectations for the program plummeting.


Yet if there's one thing fiery coach Gregg Marshall's team relishes, it's playing with a chip on its shoulder. So when pundits pegged the Shockers for a massive rebuilding effort this season, they responded by compiling a 26-4 record, and can clinch a share of the Missouri Valley title on Saturday.


''A lot of people doubted us coming in,'' said Markis McDuffie, last year's conference freshman of the year, ''but we just continue to grind and get better every day.''


''Grind'' is a good word to describe the Shockers' season. They lost close games to Louisville and Michigan State early on, dropped a game to likely NCAA Tournament team Oklahoma State and lost to Illinois State for their only league defeat. Throw in the already low expectations, and the Shockers have spent most of the year grinding away beneath the national radar.


It wasn't until this week that they finally broke into the Top 25.


At No. 25.


But they validated their ranking Wednesday night, when they ran roughshod over Evansville in a 109-83 victory. It was the third time this season the Shockers have eclipsed the 100-point mark, their most since Xavier McDaniel's teams had four of them during the 1982-83 season - which is all-the-more impressive when you consider the hallmark of Marshall's teams tends to be suffocating defense.


Oh, the Shockers can play defense, too. Just ask LSU, which managed 47 points against them in a blowout loss. But the Tigers shouldn't feel bad, considering six other teams have failed to score 50 in a game against Wichita State. One of them didn't even reach 40.


So how have the Shockers managed to defy so many expectations, despite VanVleet earning paychecks from the Toronto Raptors and Baker playing for the New York Knicks these days?


Start at the top: Marshall has proven to be one of the best in the business. The school's winningest coach led Winthrop to seven NCAA Tournaments and has the Shockers headed for their sixth straight.


Not surprisingly, his name is already surfacing for high-major jobs. That seems to happen every year.


Then consider the talent on the roster: McDuffie is a 6-foot-8 forward already generating some NBA interest, freshman point guard Landry Shamet could start for most high-major programs, Shaq Morris and Darral Willis Jr. provide some beef in the paint, and sharpshooting guard Connor Frankamp has finally hit his stride after transferring from Kansas and sitting out.


Finally, consider the fact that Wichita State may be the deepest team in the country. Ten players average at least 10 minutes a game, and nine of those average at least five points. It also means the Shockers can slap on full-court pressure and crank up their stingy defense without having to worry about wearing anybody out.


''We all kind of have a chip in our shoulder,'' said Shamet, who grew up in the Kansas City area but spurned interest from bigger-name programs to head south on I-35. ''We blew some opportunities early in the season, so we found ourselves outside the Top 25. But everybody in our locker room knows we're an NCAA Tournament team. The fact that's it's a conversation about whether or not we should be in ...''


At that, Shamet lets his voice trail off.


Yes, there is a very real conversation going on about whether the Shockers deserve to be in the field of 68 next month. And the reason isn't entirely their fault.


When they built their schedule, they couldn't predict the Spartans would struggle through injuries in a down year for coach Tom Izzo's bunch. Or that Oklahoma would go 9-18 in a major rebuilding year. Or that the Missouri Valley would be worse than usual.


But the result has been a strength-of-schedule below 200 nationally, few marquee wins to dazzle the NCAA selection committee and an RPI figure that is hardly representative of their play.


They pass the eye test. They might not pass the written test.


The Shockers finish their regular season at Missouri State on Saturday, then head to the Missouri Valley tournament next week in St. Louis. Win it and they don't have to worry, lose along the way and they will have an uncomfortable week waiting for Selection Sunday.


''The only thing I can say to anyone who doesn't think we're an NCAA Tournament team is they don't watch enough basketball,'' Marshall said. ''All you have to do is watch our team.''

 

[CNOTES]

Kansas G charged with misdemeanor
February 24, 2017


Kansas freshman guard Josh Jackson was charged with one count of misdemeanor criminal damage to property, Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announced Friday.


The charge is related to an incident in the early hours of Dec. 9, when Jackson allegedly damaged the car of Jayhawks women's basketball player McKenzie Calvert.


Jackson is averaging 16.5 points and 7.1 rebounds and is one of two finalists for the Wooden Award, which goes to the nation's top player. He is expected to apply for the NBA draft after the season and figures to be among the first five selections.


The incident occurred outside a bar named the Yacht Club in Lawrence, Kan. Witnesses identified Jackson as the person who kicked the driver's side door and rear taillight of Calvert's car.


According to a police report, Calvert and Kansas men's player Lagerald Vick had a disagreement shortly before 2 a.m. and Calvert tossed a drink into Vick's face. Jackson followed Calvert to her car and an argument ensued. Calvert got in her car and Jackson began kicking the vehicle.


Calvert and Vick have a history. A school investigation found that Vick "likely committed domestic violence" against a female student multiple times in 2015. That student was later identified as Calvert, according to the Kansas City Star.

 

[CNOTES]

SMU winning without Larry Brown
February 24, 2017


DALLAS (AP) Larry Brown can't imagine that any coach is doing a better job this season than Tim Jankovich is with short-handed SMU.


''Oh, it's remarkable,'' Brown said.


While it has taken a while for most people to notice, the 17th-ranked Mustangs are doing quite well after the sudden and somewhat unexpected departure last summer of Brown, the Hall of Fame coach who two years ago took SMU to its first NCAA Tournament since 1993. He left after a contract dispute.


''Just a good group of guys and I think now that they've been through a lot, and they've been together through so much, it has really resulted in what you're seeing on the court,'' SMU athletic director Rick Hart said.


The Mustangs (24-4), one of the nation's top defensive teams allowing 59 points a game, went into this weekend with 20 wins in their 21 games since November and a share of the American Athletic Conference lead.


''I don't want to say they've exceeded expectations because we always think big,'' said Jankovich, who then went on to describe his team as ''pretty amazing.''


If not for NCAA sanctions that included a one-year postseason ban, SMU would have been back in the NCAA Tournament last year after winning 25 games in the senior season for two-time American Athletic Conference player of the year Nic Moore and AAC top sixth man Markus Kennedy.


With those key seniors and Brown gone, SMU is limited this season because of the NCAA penalties - down at times to only six available scholarship players. But those sanctions, related to a September 2015 ruling against Brown involving a case of academic fraud , won't keep the Mustangs out of another NCAA Tournament.


''We just looked at this season as an opportunity to, not necessarily get back on the map, but just to get what we owe ourselves,'' sophomore guard Jarrey Foster said. ''We owe ourselves a lot, just how much we've been through.''


The Mustangs were 20-4 before finally breaking into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season on Feb. 6. They then avenged a January road loss with a home win over Cincinnati, and moved up again in the poll after consecutive victories in games they trailed by double digits before halftime.


Jankovich was SMU's associate head coach the past four seasons. He was also head coach-in-waiting, a title he didn't particularly like, but a necessity to leave a head coaching job at Illinois State for a spot on Brown's staff.


''They're two totally different coaches. When they were coaching together, they found a way to come together and use their coaching styles together,'' Foster said. ''We (now) play a little bit more loose.''


Sophomore guard Shake Milton said Jankovich lets the Mustangs push the ball more and shoot more - especially 3-pointers, averaging seven more attempts a game than the past three seasons - but the coach demands the same kind of focus on defense and rebounding as Brown did.


Milton, Foster, seniors Sterling Brown and Ben Moore, and former Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye all play more than 32 minutes per game as starters. Ben Emelogu, a transfer from Virginia Tech, averages more than 21 minutes and was the only sub used the past four games except for a walk-on senior being in for less than a minute just before halftime one game.


''They've been one of the hardest-working teams I've been around,'' said Jankovich, who was 104-64 at Illinois State from 2007-12 after serving as an assistant for Bill Self at Illinois (2002-03) and Kansas (2003-07). ''They've been one of the most mature and focused groups.''


SMU started this season with 10 scholarship players, three under the NCAA limit. That included a transfer from Arkansas sitting out this season, and two freshmen from Australia who left the team after only 10 games. Another scholarship freshman has dealt with concussion symptoms much of this month.


Even though the Mustangs still have to give up a total of four more scholarships over the next two seasons, Jankovich feels great about the program's future. There are six expected returning scholarship players, plus four recruits already signed for next season.


''Of course, I wish we didn't have the sanctions that we have and the limitations, but you know what, we're not going to use this as an excuse,'' he said. ''We've just learned to deal with the hand that we're dealt.''


Brown, the only coach to win both NBA and NCAA titles, won nearly 1,600 games in a coaching career that spanned more than four decades and included a record nine NBA jobs and three college stops. The last for the 76-year-old coach was at SMU, where Jankovich and the Mustangs keep winning.


''It's the greatest thing ever,'' Brown said. ''They've been through hell with the sanctions, the injuries, and yet they kept getting better.''

 

[CNOTES]

Vols' Bowden likely 'out' for Saturday
February 24, 2017


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee coach Rick Barnes says guard Jordan Bowden has ''a little bout of pneumonia'' and likely will miss a second straight game Saturday at South Carolina.


Barnes said Friday that Tennessee is ''not counting on him playing at all'' against South Carolina.


Bowden's illness prevented him from playing Wednesday in a 67-56 loss to Vanderbilt as Tennessee recorded its lowest point total and field-goal percentage of the season. He played only one minute in a 90-70 victory over Missouri on Saturday and hasn't appeared in a game since.


The 6-foot-3 freshman has made 26 starts for Tennessee this season. He is averaging 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 22.6 minutes.


Tennessee (15-13, 7-8) has lost three of its last four games. South Carolina (20-8, 10-5) has dropped three straight.

 

[CNOTES]

No. 19 Florida State looks to fix struggles in road games
February 24, 2017


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) If Florida State wants to get one of the top four seeds in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, the Seminoles must quickly cure their road woes.


The 19th-ranked Seminoles play their next two games on the road, where they are 2-5 in league play and have dropped five of their last six. They play at Clemson on Saturday and at No. 10 Duke on Tuesday.


Florida State (22-6) enters the weekend in a four-way tie for No. 21 Notre Dame, seventh-ranked Louisville and the Blue Devils. They each are 10-5 in the conference and two games behind No. 8 North Carolina, but the Seminoles are currently the second seed because of their 3-1 record over the other tied teams.


The top four seeds earn a double-bye for the ACC Tournament, which begins on March 7 at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.


''There's no question we want the double bye, but the only way is not wish for it ... go take it,'' coach Leonard Hamilton said. ''It starts by taking care of business on Saturday.''


The Seminoles, who have trailed at halftime in every road game, opened ACC road play with a 60-58 victory at No. 18 Virginia on Dec. 31. All of the road losses have been by 12 points or more and they have trailed by 15 or more at some point.


Florida State leads the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 49 percent. But on the road they have shot over 50 percent just once and are at 42.2 percent on the season.


Hamilton liked what he saw in Monday's 104-72 win over Boston College and hopes that performance can carry over to the next two games. He wants to see his team attack the paint more often in order to get open passes to the perimeter and more touches for his post players. He has also been stressing being more efficient in their half-court offense.


''We can't be coming down and passing only once or twice against a team in their best defensive look,'' Hamilton said. ''Most times when we have spread the floor and moved the ball we have been effective.''


Saturday's game also should be a good test for FSU after it dominated Clemson by 48 points (109-61) on Feb. 5. The Tigers (14-13, 4-11) have their last three games at home and are trying to get a postseason berth.


Senior forward Jarquez Smith said he expects that Clemson ''is going to come out with a grudge'' and that the Seminoles have to play as relaxed as they do at home.


''I think these next two games are going to really helps us because it will test where we are physically and mentally,'' guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes said. ''We are really meshing as a team at the right time. We need to get a couple wins in order to go into the postseason on a high note.''

 

[CNOTES]

Izzo's Spartans still shoring up NCAA
February 24, 2017


RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Michigan State and Tom Izzo have repeatedly made March the Spartans' month with strong finishes and Final Four runs. The Spartans are having a tougher time locking down their NCAA Tournament spot and building late-season momentum this time around.


Michigan State (17-11, 9-6 Big Ten) has won five of seven but likely still has work ahead to ensure a Big Ten-record 20th straight NCAA trip.


''I just plan on us figuring out a way,'' Izzo said this week. ''If I'm talking about it, there's five other Big Ten teams talking about it, there's four or five ACC teams, there's three or four SEC teams. I mean, there are so many teams that are 6-8 to 8-6 around the country that everybody's in the same boat.''


The Spartans - with seven Final Fours under Izzo, most recently in 2015 - started with a No. 12 preseason ranking in the Top 25 despite significant personnel losses that included national player of the year Denzel Valentine. But they fell out before December while playing a crushing schedule that included losses to Arizona, Kentucky, Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and Duke.


Michigan State also lost twice to 14th-ranked Big Ten leader Purdue, and lost at home in December to a Northeastern team that sits at No. 131 in the RPI.


Michigan State is No. 43 in the RPI and No. 52 in KenPom rankings after Thursday's win against Nebraska. The Spartans were slotted as No. 10 seeds in recent ESPN, CBSsports.com and USA Today projections, putting them at the back end of at-large bid candidates.


Michigan State hosts No. 16 Wisconsin on Sunday then visits Illinois and No. 24 Maryland before playing in the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans will also have the challenge of playing without senior guard Eron Harris after losing him to a knee injury.


''I think there's going to be a lot of things that happening in these last two weeks,'' Izzo said. ''We've just got to take care of as much of our business as we can and see where that takes us.''

ON THE RISE


Dayton: The Flyers (22-5, 13-2 Atlantic 10) entered Friday's game at Davidson with seven straight wins since falling at VCU. Dayton is 10-4 against RPI top-100 teams and sits at No. 24 in the RPI.


Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders (24-4, 14-1 Conference USA) have lost once since Dec. 21 and are 32nd in the RPI with wins against Southeastern Conference teams Vanderbilt and Mississippi. The goal now is to continue bolstering the resume so a stumble in the league tournament doesn't end their NCAA hopes.


Minnesota: The Gophers (21-7, 9-6) looked like a lost cause with five straight losses to end January, but they've won six straight since - including 89-75 at No. 24 Maryland on Wednesday. They also sit at No. 15 in the RPI a year after an eight-win season.


Syracuse: Just when the Orange was drifting into higher-risk category, John Gillon banked in a 3-pointer to beat No. 10 Duke on Wednesday. Syracuse (17-12, 9-7 ACC) had lost three straight games but now has three home wins against top-10 teams (Florida State and Virginia were the others) despite a No. 76 RPI. Winning Sunday at No. 7 Louisville couldn't hurt.


FADING HOPES


Alabama: The Crimson Tide (16-11, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) hurt themselves with Thursday's 60-55 home loss to Georgia. They've lost four of seven in February, with two wins coming against LSU and Missouri teams that are a combined 3-27 in the SEC.


TCU. The Horned Frogs (17-11, 6-9 Big 12) have lost eight of 11, though first-year coach Jamie Dixon deserves credit for getting a long-struggling program in the discussion for its first NCAA bid since 1998.


Utah. The Utes (18-10, 9-7 Pac-12) have lost four of seven, including Sunday's loss to an Oregon State team that was 0-14 in league. The Utes - 84th in RPI - are 1-9 against RPI top-100 teams.


Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons (16-12, 7-9 ACC) pass the eye test as a tournament team behind sophomore big man John Collins, an ACC player of the year candidate. But they lack a top-shelf win to put them comfortably over the line - and they're running out of time to get it. The Demon Deacons (40th in RPI, 33rd in KenPom) are 1-9 against RPI top-50 teams entering next week's visit from No. 7 Louisville.

 

[CNOTES]

UNCW coach says focus on NCAA tourney
February 24, 2017


Kevin Keatts is focused on helping UNC Wilmington earn another shot in the NCAA Tournament - not on any other jobs.


The Seahawks' third-year coach says it is ''flattering'' to hear his name mentioned for higher-profile openings but says he's mentally ''locked in'' to leading UNCW to another Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title, getting back into the field of 68 and pulling some upsets.


Winning two straight CAA coach of the year awards, and being in position for a third, has made Keatts a hot commodity - especially with an opening a few hours up the road at North Carolina State, which fired Mark Gottfried last week.


''Obviously, with having success, your name's going to be mentioned a lot of places, and that's flattering,'' Keatts said. ''In our third year, we've had more success than most, but for me, I've been locked in to these guys and really enjoying my team. I love what Wilmington has to offer.''


And not just because there's a beach nearby.


UNC Wilmington (25-5, 14-3) has already wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the CAA Tournament that begins next week in Charleston, South Carolina, and can break the school record for victories in a season with a win over Northeastern on Saturday in the regular season finale.


Keatts knows UNC Wilmington probably has to win the tournament to earn a second straight NCAA bid. The Seahawks claimed the league's automatic berth last year - their first since 2006 - but lost to Duke in the first round of the West Regional as a No. 13 seed.


And while they weren't satisfied with any moral victories, they learned an important lesson from that eight-point loss.


''Everyone realizes - and more importantly, our guys realize - after that Duke game that we can literally play with anybody in the country,'' Keatts said. ''We have confidence. Our guys believe in themselves.''


The Seahawks are winning with the same formula - and many of the same players - as in 2016. They run the same uptempo full court press, lead the league in scoring at 85 points per game, a six-point improvement, and are tops in the conference in 3-pointers, steals, turnover margin and, perhaps most importantly, assist-to-turnover ratio.


''We really share the basketball, and a lot of that comes from being familiar with the guys that you're playing with,'' Keatts said.


Four players average at least 10 points, led by sophomore C.J. Brice (17 ppg) and Chris Flemmings (16 ppg), a transfer from Division II Barton who was the team's top scorer last year. Six players on the roster began their college careers elsewhere, including graduate transfer Ambrose Mosley (Old Dominion) and returning guard Denzel Ingram (Charlotte).


''I've seen a change in them as far as maturity, and really, when you look at it, they feel like they're going to win every game, no matter what the situation is,'' Keatts said. ''Their confidence level is high because it's almost like we've been in this situation before.''

 

[CNOTES]

Przemek Karnowski steadying presence for top-ranked Gonzaga
February 24, 2017


SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) When No. 1 Gonzaga tries to complete an undefeated regular season on Saturday, perhaps no player will be more valuable than center Przemek Karnowski.


The 7-foot-1, 300-pound senior is a nearly unstoppable force from close range. He is averaging 12.8 points per game, second on the team, and leads the West Coast Conference with a 68 percent shooting percentage in league play. He adds 5.8 rebounds and a couple of assists per game.


Yet a year ago, Karnowski's career was in jeopardy because of bulging discs in his back.


''When you consider that this time last year we didn't know if he would play basketball ever again,'' coach Mark Few said. ''We didn't know if he was going to walk normal or function normal, because his back was so bad.''


''It's a great story of redemption,'' Few said. ''A great story of just hanging with it and it couldn't have happened to a better guy.''


No player has won more games in a Gonzaga uniform than the fifth-year senior from Poland. He is 129-13 heading into Saturday's season finale against BYU.


Karnowski is threatening former Duke player Shane Battier's Division I record of 133 career wins. That will require Gonzaga to win games in the West Coast Conference and NCAA tournaments.


Shouldn't be a problem.


The Zags have won the WCC title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament all five of his seasons.


''This program is about winning,'' said Karnowski, whose first name is pronounced ''Pshimik'' and who goes by ''Shem.'' ''That's really important.''


Gonzaga (29-0, 17-0 West Coast) is seeking to become the first team since Kentucky in 2014-15 to go undefeated in the regular season.


The Zags got here by having one of the nation's top offenses, averaging 85 points per game, and they can score from anywhere on the floor.


Karnowski is lethal in front of the basket, scoring on a variety of post shots, hook shots and short jumpers.


He is there when the Bulldogs absolutely need a basket. Karnowski scored 15 points in the first half against No. 20 Saint Mary's on Feb. 11 and 13 points in the first half against San Francisco on Feb. 16 to spark the Zags to victory in a couple of key games where the team had trouble getting started.


''Best center in the country, it's as simple as that,'' leading scorer Nigel Williams-Goss said. ''When you play him one-on-one, I don't think anyone in the country can guard him.''


Front court mate Johnathan Williams said Karnowski is an intelligent player.


''He's a great passer,'' Williams said. ''He makes the right reads. He's easy to play with.''


Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd discovered Karnowski when he was scouting guard Kevin Pangos in Europe. The center narrowed his choices to California and Gonzaga, and reunited with Pangos as a member of the Zags.


As a freshman in 2012-13, he played behind lottery pick Kelly Olynyk, getting into 34 games. That was the first and only other season in which the Bulldogs reached No. 1 in the AP Top 25 .


He started as a sophomore and junior. Big things were expected his fourth year but he fell hard in practice and five games into last season he had to quit because of bulging discs.


It wasn't certain he would be able to return from surgery.


''I couldn't bend. I couldn't lift,'' said Karnowski, who lost nearly 50 pounds after surgery.


But his recovery was smoother than expected. ''I play with no pain,'' Karnowski said.


He flirted with turning pro, but decided to return for a final season when the NCAA granted him a medical redshirt.


He is thriving this year as part of an efficient front court in which he shares time with Johnathan Williams, Zach Collins and Killian Tillie.


''He's playing the best basketball of his career right now,'' Few said.


Certainly there are detractors who don't buy Gonzaga's gaudy record, who note the team plays in the relatively weak WCC.


''Yeah, people are going to talk,'' Karnowski said. ''We are winning right now and they still talk bad. I don't really listen to that.''


Karnowski acknowledged this season has exceeded his expectations.


''I didn't think we would be undefeated, to be honest,'' he said. ''I'm happy I didn't walk last year.''

 

[CNOTES]

Arrest warrant issued for Creighton PG
February 24, 2017


OMAHA, Neb. (AP) An arrest warrant has been issued in Omaha for Creighton basketball player Maurice Watson Jr.


The Douglas County warrant filed Thursday lists a felony count of forcible sexual assault. An Omaha police incident report says a 19-year-old woman told investigators that Watson had nonconsensual sexual intercourse with her early in the morning Feb. 4. A police spokeswoman would not say Friday whether Watson has been taken into custody.


Online court records don't have the name of an attorney who could comment on Watson's behalf. Attempts to reach Watson to comment Friday were unsuccessful.


The university announced Wednesday that Watson had been suspended from all athletic-related activities since Feb. 13. The 23-year-old senior point guard suffered a season-ending knee injury last month.

 

[CNOTES]

No. 10 Duke's visit to Miami headlines weekend in ACC play
February 24, 2017


A look at the upcoming week around the Atlantic Coast Conference:

GAME OF THE WEEKEND: No. 10 Duke at Miami. The Blue Devils (22-6, 10-5) had won eight straight games before Wednesday's loss at Syracuse. The Hurricanes (19-8, 9-6) are coming off a win at Virginia to bolster their NCAA Tournament hopes, while both teams are battling to secure at least one of the top four seeds for the ACC Tournament and the double-round bye that comes with it. ''During this time you're going to face teams that just inherently should be hungrier than you,'' Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of playing late-season games against bubble teams, ''and then you have to try to be as hungry. And that's a challenge.''


LOOKING AHEAD: There are three key games to start the final week of the regular season. First is No. 8 North Carolina's Monday visit to No. 18 Virginia for the teams' second meeting in 10 days. That same night, Miami visits Virginia Tech in a matchup of teams chasing NCAA bids. Then, No. 19 Florida State visits Duke on Tuesday.

PLAYER TO WATCH: North Carolina's Justin Jackson has improved his outside shot, and that's made him a candidate for league player of the year. The 6-foot-8 junior is averaging 18.7 points entering Saturday's game at Pittsburgh. Jackson had shot just 30 percent from 3-point range through his first two seasons, but he's developed into a top-tier perimeter scorer for the Tar Heels while shooting nearly 40 percent on 3s this year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: No. 18 Virginia's offense is struggling badly. The Cavaliers managed 144 points in losses to Duke, North Carolina and Miami for the program's lowest three-game total in a season since December 1951, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Virginia shot 32 percent in those games and made just 10 of 52 3-pointers (19 percent), a big reason why the Cavaliers have their first four-game skid since coach Tony Bennett's first season in 2009-10 entering Saturday's game at North Carolina State.

ON THE WOMEN'S SIDE: The final weekend of the regular season is here, and No. 5 Notre Dame can wrap up yet another title. The Fighting Irish (26-3, 14-1), who beat Boston College on Thursday, host No. 8 Florida State in a game that will determine the top seed in the ACC Tournament. The Seminoles (25-4, 13-2) are coming off Thursday's home win against Pittsburgh. Notre Dame is trying to become the second team to win four straight ACC regular-season and tournament titles, joining Duke (2001-04).

 

[CNOTES]

No. 13 Florida, No. 11 Kentucky game could decide SEC race
February 24, 2017


Here are a few things to watch in the Southeastern Conference this week:


GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 13 Florida at No. 11 Kentucky: The winner of Saturday's showdown at Rupp Arena takes over sole possession of first place in the SEC. They enter the game with identical 23-5 overall records and 13-2 conference marks. Florida has won nine straight games, including an 88-66 victory over Kentucky in Gainesville on Feb. 4. Kentucky has won five in a row since that loss at Florida. The Gators won't have injured center John Egbunu, who had eight points and seven rebounds in the first meeting with Kentucky.


LOOKING AHEAD: Vanderbilt's chance to make a statement: Vanderbilt (15-13, 8-7 SEC) has won three straight games as it attempts to make a late run at an NCAA Tournament bid. After hosting Mississippi State on Saturday, Vanderbilt visits Kentucky and hosts Florida in its final two regular-season games. That's quite a demanding stretch, but it also gives the Commodores opportunities for upsets that would impress the selection committee. Vanderbilt leads the SEC in 3-pointers and 3-point percentage, but its defense has played a big part in the recent surge. The Commodores won 67-56 at Tennessee on Wednesday by holding the Volunteers to their lowest point total and field-goal percentage of the season.


NUMBERS GAME: This is the third straight season in which Missouri has lost at least 20 games. Never before has an SEC team lost 20-plus games in three straight seasons (Texas A&M did it while it was still in the Big 12). ... Florida went 9 of 19 from 3-point range in an 81-66 victory over South Carolina on Tuesday after missing all 17 of its 3-point attempts in a 57-53 loss at South Carolina on Jan. 18. ... Vanderbilt has forced its last three opponents to shoot a combined 7 of 42 from 3-point range. ... Tennessee's Robert Hubbs III scored his 1,000th career point Wednesday against Vanderbilt. He's the 48th Volunteer to reach that mark. ... Arkansas' Daryl Macon scored 30 points as a reserve in a victory over Mississippi on Saturday. He's one of only four Razorbacks to score 30-plus points off the bench since Arkansas joined the SEC in the 1991-92 season.


PLAYER TO WATCH: He's been overshadowed by other freshmen playing for more successful teams, but Texas A&M forward Robert Williams is producing a fantastic debut season. Williams has nine double-doubles this season, including four in his last five games. The 6-foot-9 forward also has blocked at least one shot in 27 straight games, a streak that leads all Division I players. He's second in the SEC in rebounds (7.7) and rebounds (2.7).


ON THE WOMEN'S SIDE: No. 3 Mississippi State and No. 7 South Carolina share first place in the SEC standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Mississippi State is seeking to earn the school's first SEC regular-season title in any women's sport. If Mississippi State and South Carolina end up tied for first place, South Carolina would get the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament because it won the lone regular-season matchup between these two teams. ... No. 24 Missouri's .802 free-throw percentage puts the Tigers on pace to break the SEC single-season record of .781, set by Georgia in 2005-06.