The Texas Longhorns stay perfect as the Houston Cougars sufferer a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer

College Basketball Report: Week 2

NCAA basketball

TEXAS LONGHORNS (4-0)

Last week (2-0): W: California Baptist (67-54), W: Praire View A&M (70-56)

This week: Thursday vs. Georgetown, Friday vs. Duke or California

Thanks to another 2-0 week, the Texas Longhorns are off to a 4-0 start to begin the new season. Winning by an average margin of 13.5 points per game, the Longhorns won a blowout victory over the California Baptist Lancers, a game in which Texas' sophomore guard Courtney Ramey tied his career-high with 19 points (8-11 FG) and six rebounds.

To no one surprise, the Longhorns ended the week with a 70-56 victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers. Up next, the Longhorns will travel to New York City to continue their 2K Empire Classic, where they will face off against the Georgetown Hoyas on Thursday.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (2-1)

Last week (1-1): W: ULM (63-57), L: Gonzaga

This week: Wednesday vs. Tory

The Aggies started the week extending their winning streak to three in a 63-57 comeback victory over the University of Louisiana Monroe Warhawks. In a surprising turn of events, the Warhawks held a 30-22 led over the Aggies heading into the halftime break. Behind a second-half surge, Texas A&M outscored Louisiana Monroe 41-27 in the second half en route to a win.

Unfortunately, the Aggies' winning streak came to an end with an embarrassing 30-point loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Up next, it's a short week for Texas A&M as they take on the Troy Trojans on Wednesday, inside Reed Arena in College Station.

HOUSTON COUGARS (1-1)

Last week (1-1): W: Alabama State (84-56), L: BYU (72-71)

This week: Tuesday vs. Rice, Friday vs. Oregon

The Houston Cougars' opened their season with an 84-56 victory over the Alabama State Hornets. It was an all-around performance from Houston, as the Cougars had five players scoring in double-figures with freshman guard, Marcus Sasser, leading the way with 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 3PT).

The Cougars would go on to suffer a heartbreaking loss on Friday, losing to BYU on a buzzer-beater by TJ Haws. Houston would hit the road this week for a showdown against the Rice Owls and an early-season showdown against the Oregon Ducks.

RICE OWLS (4-1)

Last week (2-0): W: Northwestern State (80-74), W: UC Santa Barbara (82-81)

This week: Tuesday Vs. Houston, Friday vs. Milwaukee

After losing their season opener to Arkansas, the Rice Owls extended their win streak to four last week. The Owls recorded an 80-74 win over the Northwestern State Demons, a game where Rice endured a second-half surge (50-36) for a thrilling comeback victory.

The Owls won another nail biter on Saturday, with an 82-81 win over the UC Santa Barbara Gaucho. The Owls were led in scoring by sophomore guard, Trey Murphy III, who averaged 21.5 points while shooting an efficient 54.1% from the field, 55% from deep this past week. The Owls will look to extend their winning streak against Houston on Tuesday before kicking off the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase on Friday.

BAYLOR BEARS (2-1)

Last week (1-0): W: Texas State 72-63 ​

This week: Thursday vs. Ohio

The Baylor Bears recorded their second consecutive win with a 72-63 win over the Texas State Bobcats. It was a strange win for the Bears as the Bobcats out-shot Baylor from the floor, shooting 42.6% in comparison to 41.0%, 35.3% to 26.1% from 3-point range. The Bears will hit the road to tip-off their Myrtle Beach Invitational on Thursday against the Ohio Bobcats in Conway, S.C.

TCU HORNED FROGS (3-0)

Last week (2-0): W: Louisiana 98-65, W: Air Force 65-54

This week: Thursday vs. UC Irvine, Sunday Clemson

The Horned Frogs are letting it be known that they may be one of the nation's Cinderella teams during the 2019-20 college basketball season. TCU opened the week at a 98-65 victory over the Louisiana Ragin Cajun, a game in which the Horned Frogs set a school record with 18 3-pointers in the win.

TCU followed their record-breaking performance with a 65-54 win over Air Force on Monday. After a perfect week, TCU is off to a 3-0 start and will put their win streak on the line Thursday in a home match against UC Irvine. The Horned Frogs will begin their MGM Resorts Main Event Tournament on Sunday, in a match against the Clemson Tigers.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (3-0)

Last week: (2-0) W: Houston Baptist 103-74

This week: Thursday vs Tennessee State, Sunday vs Long Island

The Texas Tech Raiders have opened their new season with three straight wins. Their most recent victory came in a convincing 103-74 win over the Houston Baptist Wolves. In the win, five players scored in double-figures with freshman guard, Jahmi'us Ramsey, leading the way with 25 points, shooting 10-for-13 from the field, 3-4 from deep. Up next, the Raiders will open their Las Vegas Classic Regional Round against Tennessee State on Thursday, and Long Island on Sunday.

SMU MUSTANGS (4-0)

Last week (3-0): W: New Orleans (77-64), W: Jackson State (80-63), W: Evansville 59-57

This week: Saturday vs UNLV

The SMU Mustangs had a full week of games but still managed to stay perfect to start the season. The Mustangs most nail-biting win came in a narrow 59-57 win over the Evansville Purple Aces on Monday. Coming up, SMU will take part in the Southwestern Showdown Tournament, where they take on UNLV in Las Vegas, NV.

LSU TIGERS (2-1)

Last week (1-1): L: VCU (84-82), W: Nicholls (75-65)

This week: Tuesday vs UMBC, Friday vs Utah ST., Sunday Rhode Island

Still not the same buzz as their acquaintances on the gridiron, but the LSU Tigers seem poised for a solid year for the 2019-2020 season. The Tigers week got off to a heartbreaking loss with an 84-82 defeat to VCU. They trailed by 15 in the first half, and nearly pulled off a comeback Wednesday night.

Thankfully, LSU did not dwindle on the loss too long, as the Tigers bounced back with 75-65 win over Nicholls. LSU's senior guard, Skylar May, led the Tigers averaging 20.5 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the week. LSU will return to the court on Tuesday to take on UMBC on their home floor, before traveling to Jamaica to open their Jamaica Classic against Utah on Friday.

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How the Astros face a familiar power with new questions

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.

 

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 ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.

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