COLLEGE BASKETBALL REPORT: WEEK 13

The LSU Tigers look to keep up their winning ways alongside the nation's best team, the No. 1 Baylor Bears

The LSU Tigers look to keep up their winning ways alongside the nation's best team, the No. 1 Baylor Bears
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TEXAS LONGHORNS (14-8), (4-5)

Last week: (2-1): W - TCU 62-61, W - Iowa State 72-68, L - Kansas 69-58

This week: Saturday vs Texas Tech, MondayĀ vs. Baylor

Before dropping a close one to the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks, the Texas Longhorns picked up back-to-back wins against the TCU Horned Frogs and the Iowa State Cyclones.

After trailing by one at the half, the Longhorns went on an 11-0 run in the final three minutes to come away victorious against the Cyclones. Sophomore guard Courtney Ramey recorded 14 points while freshman guard Donovan Williams tied his career-high with 13 points in the win.

Up next, the Longhorns will return home for an in-state showdown against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (10-10), (4-4)

Last week: (1-1): W - Tennessee 63-58, L - Georgia 63-48

This week: TuesdayĀ vs. Missouri, Saturday vs. South Carolina

The roller-coaster season continued for the Texas A&M Aggies. They started the week taking a 63-58 victory over Tennessee, in a game where senior guard Wendell Mitchell led A&M to the win with 23 points. It also helped that the Volunteers went cold from behind the arc as Tennessee shot 27.3% from deep.

Following the win, the Aggies suffered one of their worst defeats in conference play with a 15-point loss at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs. A&M had no answer for Georgia's Anthony Edwards, as the freshman guard recorded a career-high 29 points while shooting 48% from the floor.

Up next, the Aggies will return to the court on Tuesday to take on the Missouri Tigers.

Houston Cougars (17-5), (7-2)

Last week: (1-1): W - ECU 69-59, L - Cincinnati 64-62

This week: ThursdayĀ vs. Tulane, Sunday vs. Wichita State

One poor decision from Dejon Jarreau put the Houston Cougars in a critical light despite their outstanding play throughout the season. After winning their fifth straight game in a victory over ECU, the Cougars drop their second game in conference play in a 64-62 defeat to the Cincinnati Bearcats.

The Cougars' play on the court was overshadowed by Jarreau's poor decision to bite Cincinnati's Mamoudou Diarra during a fight for a loose ball. As a result, Cougars' head coach Kelvin Sampson has suspended Jarreau for one game.

"After further reviews from multiple angles, it can clearly be seen that DeJon Jarreau bit Mamoudou Diarra." Sampson said. "With that in mind, I have chosen to suspend DeJon for Thursday's game against Tulane. I am confident DeJon will learn from this incident and the consequences of his actions."

RICE OWLS (10-13), (2-8)

Last week: (1-1): L - UTSA 90-88, W - North Texas 84-75

This week: ThursdayĀ vs. UAB, Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee

After extending their losing streak to five in a loss to UTSA, the Rice Owls pulled off an upset over the top-seeded North Texas Mean Green in an 84-75 victory in Houston.

The Owls completed a comeback late in the second half over North Texas after Rice connected on seven of their final eight baskets to close out the game on a 17-6 run. Trey Murphy III and Josh Parrish scored 15 points apiece, as Drew Peterson recorded 13 points and seven boards in the win.

Up next, the Owls will take on the UAB Blazers inside the Bartow Arena in Birmingham on Thursday.

BAYLOR BEAR (20-1), (9-0)

Last week: (3-0): W - Iowa State 67-53, W - TCU 68-52, W - Kansas State 73-67

This week: SaturdayĀ vs. Oklahoma State, Monday vs. Texas

After picking up two blowout victories in back-to-back wins against Iowa State and TCU, the Baylor Bears survived a hard-fought battle against Kansas State on Monday. Sophomore guard Jared Butler recorded four made 3-point field goals and scored 12 of his 20 points in the first half to lead the way for the Bears.

As the nation's top-ranked school, Baylor will put their 19 game winning on the line on Saturday, in a showdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys inside the Ferrell Center in Waco.

TCU Horned Frog (13-8), (4-4)

Last week: (0-2): L - Texas 62-61, L - Baylor 68-52

This week: WednesdayĀ vs. Oklahoma State, Saturday vs. Kansas

The TCU Horned Frogs have now lost five of their last six games after going winless during the previous week. Prior to dropping their third straight game in a loss against Baylor, the Horned Frogs suffered a heartbreaking 62-61 defeat to the Texas Longhorns.

Early in the second half, Texas held its largest lead at 45-35 before TCU responded with an 8-0 run of their own, which was ignited by RJ Nembhard's 3-pointer to tie the game at 59 points. With a chance for TCU to win the game, Texas' defense forced Nembhard to commit a traveling violation in the closing seconds. In the loss, Nembhard and Kevin Samuel led TCU on the night with 17 points apiece.

Up next, TCU will look to end their losing skid in a tough match against Oklahoma State on Wednesday.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (13-8), (4-4)

Last week: (1-1): W - West Virginia 89-81, L - Kansas 78-75

This week: Tuesday vs. Oklahoma, Saturday vs. Texas

After a tough overtime non-conference loss to Kentucky, the Texas Tech Red Raiders picked up an enormous 89-81 victory over No. 12 West Virginia.

In the win, three players registered 20 or more points with junior Davide Moretti scoring a career-high 25 points with four 3-pointers on the night. Terrence Shannon, Jr. added 23 points while Jahmi'us Ramsey had 21 inside the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. Unfortunately, Texas Tech could not carry their momentum over to Kansas on Saturday, where the Red Raiders suffered a 78-75 loss.

Up next, Texas Tech will return home for a Big 12 match against Oklahoma on Wednesday.

SMU MUSTANGS (16-5), (6-3)

Last week: (1-1): L - Cincinnati 65-43, W - Tulane 82-67

This week: Saturday vs. Temple

With their three-game winning streak coming to an end in an embarrassing loss to Cincinnati (65-43), the SMU Mustangs recorded their own blowout win in an 82-67 victory over the Tulane Green Waves.

While shooting 50% from the floor, junior guard Tyson Jolly scored 20 points and sophomore Kendric Davis added a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds for their sixth win in conference play. Up next, the Mustangs will look to build off their big win on Saturday against the Temple Owls in Philadelphia.

LSU TIGERS (17-4), (8-0)

Last week (2-0): W - Alabama 90-76, W - Ole Miss 73-63

This week: Wednesday vs Vanderbilt, Saturday vs Aubrun

The LSU Tigers continued their hot start in conference play and extended their overall winning streak to 10 last week. Unlike their play on the football field, the Alabama Crimson Tide proved to be no match for LSU, as the Tigers had five players scored in double-digits with Emmitt Williams leading the Tigers with 23 points.

Following a close win over the Ole Miss, LSU will hit the road for an SEC matchup against Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

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Cam Smith continues to swing a hot bat! Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Astros wrapped up yet another series win this week, this time taking two of three from the struggling Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Despite missing several key players and a bullpen that wasn’t fully available, the Astros continued their recent run of success, pushing their record to 52-35.

Manager Joe Espada appeared to be playing the long game in the rubber match on Thursday. After Houston rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning, Espada stuck with reliever Jordan Weems instead of turning to his high-leverage arms. That decision, while frustrating to some fans hoping for the sweep, underscored the team’s cautious approach to workload management as they navigate a long season.

One bright spot continues to be rookie Cam Smith, who delivered again in the clutch with a two-run triple in the seventh inning on Thursday. Smith has been Houston’s most dependable bat with runners on base and is quickly settling into the cleanup role—a rarity for a first-year player but one he’s earned with his poise and production.

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Off the field, the biggest storyline continues to be Yordan Alvarez’s injury. After reports surfaced that the slugger had experienced a setback in his return from a fractured hand, the team clarified that the issue is inflammation, not the fracture itself. Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez received injections to address the irritation and is expected to rest for now. Encouragingly, the Astros say the fracture is no longer a concern, and while there’s still no definitive timeline for his return, the overall tone from the club was optimistic.

The transparency around Alvarez’s situation is part of a larger shift. After being criticized in recent seasons for vague injury updates, the Astros have begun issuing daily availability reports. It’s a move that signals the front office is trying to regain some trust with the media and fans after a stretch of frustrating ambiguity around player health.

Now, the Astros head to Los Angeles for a marquee matchup with the defending champion Dodgers. Friday’s opener will feature Lance McCullers Jr. making just his second start since returning from the injured list. McCullers gave up eight runs in his return against the Cubs and will be under the spotlight as he looks to settle back into form. Control will be the key, as walks have long been McCullers’ Achilles’ heel.

Saturday sets the stage for one of the most anticipated pitching matchups of the season: Framber Valdez versus Shohei Ohtani. With both teams fighting for positioning in their respective divisions, this weekend in LA should serve as a measuring stick—and perhaps a postseason preview.

There's so much more to get to! 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 ā€˜Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.

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