The Baylor Bears extend their winning streak to seven, while the Texas Longhorns continue a streak of their own.

College Basketball Report: Week 6

Coty Davis
Dec 17, 2019, 6:51 am
Shaka Smart and Texas. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

TEXAS LONGHORNS (9-1)

Last week (1-0): W-Central Michigan 87-76

This week: Saturdayvs. Providence

The Texas Longhorns had a short week but continued their winning ways against Central Michigan on Saturday. The Longhorns extended their winning streak to five in an 87-76 victory over the Chippewas.

It was a backcourt affair inside the Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center in Austin as Texas' junior guard, Jase Febres posted a game-high 23 points (7-11 FG, 7-10 3PT), while second-year guard Courtney Ramey added in a career-high 20 points in the win. Following the victory, the Longhorns will return to action on Saturday for a road match against Providence in Rhode Island

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (4-5)

Last week (1-0): W - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 63-60

This week: Saturday vs. Oregon State

The Texas A&M Aggies ended their four-game losing skid in a 63-60 victory over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders on Sunday. It was a big come from behind win for the Aggies, as Texas A&M trailed by 11 early in the second half. They went on to outscore the Islanders by 10 in the second half (39-29), as Emanuel Miller scored 20 points while shooting 7-8 from the floor.

After allowing nine made 3-point field goals in the first half, the Aggies picked up their defensive intensity and held the Islanders to shoot 20% (2-10 3PT) from behind the arc in the second half. With one game on the schedule, the Aggies will look to make it two straight wins on Saturday when they take on Oregon State.

HOUSTON COUGARS (6-3)

Last week (1-1): W - UT Arlington 71-63, L - Oklahoma State 61-55

This week: Thursday vs. UTEP, Sunday Portland

The Houston Cougars had one heck of the week that ended in heartbreak. The Cougars extended their winning streak to four in a 61-55 victory over the UT-Arlington Mavericks on Wednesday. It was a wire-to-wire victory on a night where sophomore guard, Nate Hinton, scored a career-best 25-points (9-15 FG, 4-8 3PT) and 10 rebounds in the win.

Unfortunately, Houston's win streak came to a halt on Sunday in a 61-55 loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. On a night where the Cougars struggled to buy a basket, freshman guard, Caleb Mills, was one of two players who scored in double-figures with a career-best 25 points in the loss. Mill's performance against OSU was enough to award him with the American Athletic freshman Player of the Week.

Following the win, the Cougars will return to the Fertitta Center for a contest against UTEP before opening their Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Sunday against Portland.

RICE OWLS (7-4)

Last week (1-0): W - Houston Baptist 96-84

This week: Thursday vs. St. Thomas

The Rice Owls overcame a 29-point performance from Houston Baptist' Ian DuBose to pick a victory over the winless Huskies on Saturday in a 96-84 win. Senior guard Robert Martin led the Owls with 20 points while shooting 8-for-9 from the field, 3-for-4 from behind the arc.

Following the win, the Rice Owls will return to Tudor Fieldhouse for a match against the St. Thomas Celts.

BAYLOR BEARS (8-1)

Last week (1-0): W - Butler 53-52

This week: Wednesday vs. Tennessee-Martin

The sizzling Baylor Bears continued their early-season success with a 53-52 victory against the No. 11 Butler Bulldogs on Tuesday. Junior forward Mark Vital sealed the one-point victory for the Bears with a game-winning block on Butler's Kamar Baldwin with 1.5 seconds remaining in the second half.

It was a total team effort by Baylor as guards MaCio Teague and Devonte Bandoo led the Bears in scoring with 10 points apiece.

Win the win, Baylor has extended their winning streak to seven, ahead of their home match against the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks on Wednesday.

TCU HORNED FROGS (8-2)

Last week (2-0): W - Winthrop 70-60, W - Lamar 79-50

This week: Sunday vs Xavier

After a heartbreaking loss to USC, TCU picked up back-to-back convincing wins over Winthrop (70-60) and Lamar (79-50) last week. Both the Eagles and the Cardinals did not have an answer to slowing down the Horned Frogs, as TCU shot 47.3 from the floor, 34.4% from deep. Sophomore guard R.J. Nembhard averaged 14.0 points on 42% shooting from the floor, to go along with 6.5 rebounds in a two-game sweep.

TCU will return to action on Sunday to face off against the Xavier Musketeers.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (7-3)

Last week: (2-0) W - Louisville 70-57, W - Southern Mississippi 71-65

This week: Saturday vs. UTRGV

The Texas Tech Raiders ended their three-game losing skid in a convincing 70-57 victory over No. 1 ranked Louisville Cardinals. The win over the Cardinals was the first victory against a top-ranked team in the Red Raiders' program history.

Texas Tech completed the upset with a great defensive performance, as the Red Raiders held the Cardinals to 34.0% shooting from the field, and an unpleasant 17.6% from behind the arc. Following their second straight win over Southern Mississippi (71-65), Texas Tech will return to the court on Saturday for a showdown against the Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.

SMU MUSTANGS (8-1)

Last week (0-0): No Games Scheduled

This week: Tuesday vs Georgia Bulldogs, Monday Georgia State

With no games on the schedule, SMU will return to the floor on Tuesday, December 20th against the Georgia Bulldogs.

LSU TIGERS (7-2)

Last week (0-0): No Games Scheduled

This week: Wednesday vs East Tennessee St., Saturday USC

With no games on the schedule, LSU will return to the floor on Wednesday against East Tennessee St before taking on USC on Saturday.

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THE PALLILOG

How one Astros player specifically is playing at a blistering, unsustainable pace

Yordan Alvarez has been fantastic. Photo by Getty Images.

The Astros’ slog on mediocrity road has them in Chicago for the weekend with their record at 19 wins and 18 losses. No time like the present to switch roads. Losing two of three in Seattle then winning two of three in Anaheim means it’s a winning road trip if they can take at least two of three from the woeful White Sox.

The schedule is favorable the rest of May if the Astros are good enough to take advantage. After the White Sox it’s three at Minute Maid Park against the sub-.500 Cubs followed by three at home vs. the sub .250 Athletics who look like one of the worst teams of all-time. Then it’s back on the road for three at decent Milwaukee, three at those woebegone A’s, then back home to close the month against the middling Minnesota Twins (for whom Carlos Correa is batting below .200 and been booed by the home fans).

The Astros lineup continues to scuffle overall. They open play in the Windy City ranked eighth among the 15 American League teams in runs per game, but third worst in OPS. It’s not hard to explain with only two lineup regulars having good seasons at the plate to this point. Yordan Alvarez is Yordan Alvarez, meaning offensive superstar. Kyle Tucker has solid numbers, but nothing remotely elite. Tucker’s .789 OPS is lower than he’s finished with in any of his three seasons as an everyday player.

Jeremy Pena has been all right, he’s tied with Alvarez for the team lead with 15 extra base hits but has not made a leap from his rookie season. If Pena is to become a very good offensive player, he simply has to develop better plate discipline. Pena is up to 146 at bats with just six walks drawn. That paltry walks number is more troubling than his 38 strikeouts.

Jose Abreu still shows no signs of getting going. Abreu is still sitting on zero home runs, his OPS has sagged below Martin Maldonado’s. Alex Bregman is still batting just .207 with a weak .663 OPS. The season is six weeks old. Altuve’s return within maybe three weeks is a nearly absolute notable boost to the lineup. Brantley, we’ll see. It’s definitely troubling that after a week of minor league games Brantley’s surgically repaired shoulder is bothering him again, and he is at least temporarily shut down.

It’s not like the Astros have been buried by any means, certainly not in the AL West. Four games out in May is no big deal. However, it is time to start taking the Texas Rangers at least somewhat seriously. They are 22-14 heading into a four game weekend series against the garbage A’s. This shouldn’t hold up but the Rangers have been better than the Astros at every position but left field. The Rangers’ pitching has proving to do over the long haul, but the Astros’ pitching while still good overall is not nearly what it was last year. The Rangers’ farm system is also clearly better than the Astros’ system, so the Rangers are among the many teams that can make stronger offers than the Astros in pursuing upgrades.

Four and a half months of the season remain, but that the Astros are already nine and a half games behind the Tampa Bay Rays already does make the Astros repeating with the best record in the AL fairly unlikely.

Elite run production

Yordan Alvarez has played 31 of the Astros’ 37 games so far this season. In those 31 games he has 34 runs batted in. That is almost certainly an unsustainable pace, but neither of the guys most often ahead of Alvarez in the lineup this season have been good at getting on base. Mauricio Dubon’s .306 on base percentage is poor for a leadoff hitter, Alex Bregman’s sits at a meh .327. When Altuve gets in the lineup and if Brantley’s return ever actually happens, Yordan certainly should have more ducks on the pond to bring around than Dubon and Bregman have provided. Definitely unsustainable is Yordan’s absurd .520 batting average with runners in scoring position. With RISP Yordan is 13 for 25 with 29 of his 31 RBI.

The last player to average more than one RBI per game for a season? In 1999 Manny Ramirez knocked in 165 runs in 147 games played. The last player to knock in 150 in a season? Alex Rodriguez with 156 in 2007. The all-time record for RBI in a season has stood since 1930. Chicago Cubs center fielder Hack Wilson drove in 116 runs that year. In just his home games at Wrigley Field. Overall Wilson amassed a whopping 191 RBI. He also led the world with 56 home runs. Hack Wilson’s listed height was the same as Jose Altuve’s: five feet six inches. Wilson’s batting average in 1930 was .356, but that was nowhere close to what he needed to win the Triple Crown. The Giants’ Bill Terry hit .401, the last National Leaguer to hit .400. 1930 was a freak show offensive season. The batting average for the entire NL in 1930 was .303. The Giants led the league, batting .319 as a team.

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