No. 1 Baylor Bears and No. 10 LSU Tigers extend their winning streak as conference play continues.
College Basketball Report: Week 11
Jan 21, 2020, 1:07 pm
No. 1 Baylor Bears and No. 10 LSU Tigers extend their winning streak as conference play continues.
Go up and get it, Jericho. š¤ #AllForTexas | #HookEm https://t.co/8RJcS9gLv4ā Texas Men's Basketball (@Texas Men's Basketball) 1579465302.0
Last week: (1-2): W - Oklahoma State 74-64, L - Kansas 66-57, L - West Virginia 97-59
This week: SaturdayĀ vs. LSU
The start of the Big 12 Conference has not been kind to the Texas Longhorns with a below .500 record. After recording a 12-point victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Longhorns dropped back-to-back games against the Kansas Jayhawks and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
The 38-point loss to the Mountaineers proved to be the Longhorns' worst performance of the season, as UT allowed West Virginia to shoot 51.4% from the floor, 42.9% from behind the arc and trail 45-20 heading into the halftime break.
With one game on the schedule, the Longhorns will look to bounce back in a home match against the hot LSU Tigers.
His teammate wanted in on the action š https://t.co/RUtDzUQs59ā SEC Network (@SEC Network) 1579376315.0
Last week: (0-2): L - LSU 89-85, L - South Carolina 81-67
This week: TuesdayĀ vs. Missouri, Saturday vs. Oklahoma State
The Texas A&M Aggies hit a rough patch last week and are currently riding a two-game losing streak heading into their match against the Missouri Tigers on Tuesday, before taking on the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday.
The Aggies dropped a heartbreak overtime loss in a game against the LSU Tigers, where they fought their way back from 10 down at the half. Unfortunately, A&M could not carry over their second-half surge against the Gamecocks, as South Carolina shot 48.3 % from the floor, 53.3 % from 3-point range.
Senior forward Josh Nebo led the Aggies in scoring both games averaging 19.0 points and 2.5 blocks per game.
.@LaDeeky named to @American_MBB Honor Roll for first time this season #ForTheCity #GoCoogs https://t.co/h3pXNworm4ā Houston Men's Hoops š š¾ (@Houston Men's Hoops š š¾) 1579549058.0
Last week: (2-0): W - SMU 77-62, W- Wichita State 65-54
This week: Thursday vs. UConn, Sunday vs. USF
Winners of eight out of their last nine games, the Houston Cougars swept through their opponents picking up wins against the SMU Mustangs and the Wichita State Shockers.
In the win against No. 16 Wichita State, the Cougars had one of their best defensive performances of the season, as Houston recorded nine blocks and held the Shockers to 32.2% shoot from the field, and 20% from behind the arc. Following the win, the Cougars will come into Thursday showdown against UConn tied with Wichita State atop of the American Athletic Conference.
Rice falls to Southern Miss, 81-68. #GoOwlsš x #TheRiceWay https://t.co/h8yPpZeF2eā Rice Basketball (@Rice Basketball) 1579384197.0
Last week: (0-3): L - Louisiana Tech 72-56, L- Southern Miss 81-68, L - North Texas 79-59
This week: Thursday vs. UTEP, Saturday vs. UTSA
Loser of seven of their last eight games, the Rice Owls are currently riding a three-game losing streak after a winless week.
The Owls suffered a blowout defeat in all three games, losing by an average margin of 16 points, with their worst coming at the hands of North Texas on Monday. Up next, Rice will look to end their worst skid of the season on Thursday in a CUSA showdown against UTEP.
Baylor is 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 1948 when it played in the Southwest Conference. BPI giv⦠https://t.co/JjAXYB87CPā ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPN Stats & Info) 1579580340.0
Last week: (3-0): W - Iowa State 68-55, W - Oklahoma State 75-68, W - Oklahoma 61-57
This week: Saturday vs. Florida
While improving their national rank to No. 1, the Baylor Bears extended their conference play winning streak to six with wins against Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma over the past week.
In the win against Oklahoma, Macio Teague led the Bears to a close win with 16 points and three steals. Following their overall 15th straight victory, the Bears will put their winning streak on the line against Florida on Saturday.
It's all purple on Tuesday. #GoFrogs š https://t.co/lJdr4blBFdā TCU Basketball (@TCU Basketball) 1579458270.0
Last week: (0-2): L - West Virginia 81-49, L - Oklahoma 83-63
This week: Tuesday vs Texas Tech, Saturday vs Arkansas
After riding a four-game winning streak, the TCU Horned Frogs dropped two consecutive conference games in a loss against West Virginia and Oklahoma last week. In both games, the Horned Frogs lost by an average margin of 26 points, which indicates their two worst two-game stretch of the season.
Up next, TCU will look to return to their winning ways against the No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders on Tuesday, before taking on the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.
Keep it rolling. š“#4To1 | #WreckEmā«ļø https://t.co/AEIB4FhtgDā Texas Tech Basketball (@Texas Tech Basketball) 1579577044.0
Last week: (2-0): W - Kansas State 77-63, W - Arkansas 72-52
This week: Tuesday vs TCU, Saturday vs Kentucky
After dropping two of their first three conference games, the No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders had a prefect week picking up wins against the Kansas State Wildcats and Iowa State Cyclone.
Against Iowa State, the Red Raiders finished the game shooting 54.3% from the floor and connecting on nine 3-point field goals in the win. Sophomore guard Kyler Edwards registered a career-high five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points inside the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
Up next, Tech will look to extend their winning streak against the TCU Horned Frogs on Tuesday.
.@tysonjolly was named to the American's Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season today! š° |⦠https://t.co/IurDbw6mIBā SMU Basketball (@SMU Basketball) 1579549788.0
Last week (1-1): L - Houston 71-62, W - Temple 68-52
This week: Wednesday vs ECU, Saturday vs Memphis
The SMU Mustangs opened the week dropping their second straight game in a loss to in-state rival, the Houston Cougars. In the loss, the Mustangs did not have an answer for Houston's Fabian White Jr., as the junior forward recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Following the loss in Houston, SMU returned to their winning ways in a home victory over the Temple Owls, a game in which Tyson Jolly had one of his best performances of the season with 25 points and 14 rebounds, two steals and a block in the win.
The Mustang will stay home for an AAC showdown against ECU on Wednesday before traveling to Memphis to take on the Memphis Tigers on Saturday.
LSU won its 12th consectuive SEC road game Saturday in Ole Miss to improve to 5-0 in league play! šā¦ https://t.co/wfce7bHa4pā LSU Basketball (@LSU Basketball) 1579461662.0
Last week (2-0): W - Texas A&M 89-85, W - Ole Miss 80-76
This week: Tuesday vs Florida, Saturday vs Texas
No. 10 LSU Tigers continued their hot start in conference play and extended their winning streak to six last week.
Both games went down to the wire as the Tigers needed an additional five minutes to pull off a win against the Aggies, a game where LSU nearly blew a 10 point lead at the half. Five players scored in double-digits for LSU with Trendon Watford and Skylar Mays each scoring 19 points apiece.
The Tigers will return home on Tuesday for a match against Florida before a Big-12 showdown against the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.
After riding high from a statement sweep of the Dodgers, the Astros limped into the All-Star break, having lost five of their last six games, including two of three to the rival Rangers. They still hold a five-game lead in the American League West, but the momentum they carried into July has cooled considerably.
While itās tempting to point to the battered lineup as the reason for Houstonās recent struggles, the more pressing issue has been on the mound. For much of the season, elite pitching has masked an offense operating in the leagueās bottom third. But during this six-game slide, the script flipped. Over the last seven days, Houston ranks 24th in team ERA at 5.37. The offense hasnāt been great either, 20th in runs, 22nd in OPS, 23rd in batting average, but those numbers arenāt that far off their season-long identity. The difference is that the pitching has stopped bailing them out.
The good news? Help may be (somewhat) on the way.
Astros GM Dana Brown recently provided updates on three key contributors. Shortstop Jeremy PeƱa isnāt expected back immediately after the break, but Brown said it shouldnāt be long before he returns from a fractured rib. Yordan Alvarez, meanwhile, is progressing well from his hand injury. According to Brown, Alvarez has āabsolutely no painā and will be re-evaluated Thursday. If cleared to swing, the Astros plan to expedite his return. Center fielder Jake Meyers, however, remains at least three weeks away as he recovers from a calf injury.
On the pitching front, expectations for late-season contributions from Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia remain uncertain. Both pitchers have thrown rehab starts recently in the Florida Complex League. Garcia has now been out for over two years following Tommy John surgery. If heās not able to return this season, serious questions will need to be asked about his long-term outlook. Javier, also rehabbing from Tommy John, may be an option in August, but expectations should be tempered. As Brown himself has admitted, he tends to be optimistic. Fans would be wise to stay grounded.
Another arm to watch is Spencer Arrighetti. With no major injury (thumb) holding him back, Arrighetti may be Houstonās most viable rotation boost in the second half.
Fortunately, the schedule sets up favorably after the break. Over the next seven series, the Astros face four sub-.500 teams. But that doesnāt mean anything is guaranteed, especially if current trends continue.
Lance McCullers remains an enigma. When heās locked in, he gives Houston a legitimate No. 3-caliber arm. When heās off, heās out of the game early and the bullpen pays the price. Manager Joe Espada faces one of his toughest managing challenges every time McCullers takes the hill.
Cam Smith has cooled off at the plate, hitless in his last 11 at-bats. Heās also been bounced all over the batting order. A simple solution? Plant him in the cleanup spot and let him adjust without the added mental shuffle.
And then thereās Josh Hader. The All-Star closer has surrendered home runs in three of his last four outings. If Houston is going to continue winning tight games with a low-margin offense, Hader has to be lights-out. His dominance alongside a top-tier setup man (Bryan Abreu) has been a pillar of the Astrosā success model this season. They need that foundation to hold.
The Astros arenāt panicking ā nor should they. But after a hot run turned lukewarm, the margin for error is shrinking. The second half opens with an opportunity to bank wins and regain rhythm. Whether Houston capitalizes depends on health, consistency, and maybe a little creativity from the front office.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold āStros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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