The Baylor Bears won their respective tournament, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders look to stay perfect to start the season

College Basketball Report: Week 3

UT basketball coach Shaka Smart
Shaka Smart and Texas are fading fast. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

TEXAS LONGHORNS (5-1)

Last week (1-1): L: Georgetown 82-66, W: California 62-45

This week: Saturday vs. McNeese State

The Longhorns continued their tour of the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project with an 82-66 loss to the Georgetown Hoyas. The 16-point defeat snapped Texas' four-game win streak to open the new season. After allowing the Hoyas to shoot 50.9% from the field, 45.5% from deep, the Longhorns picked up their defense in a win against the California Golden bears, where Cal shot 34.6% from the floor, 20.0% from 3-point range. Following a week in the Big Apple, the Longhorns will return to Austin on Saturday to face off against the McNeese State Cowboys.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (3-1)

Last week (1-0): W: Troy 56-52

This week: Thursday vs. Harvard

After trailing 25-17 in the first half, the Aggies outscored the Trojans 39-27 in the second half, while shooting 44.4% from the field and forced 10 second-half turnovers to complete a 56-52 victory over Troy Wednesday night. Texas A&M was led by walk-on guard Mark French, who recorded a career-high 12 points in the win. Up next, the Aggies will open their Orlando Invitational on Thursday in a match against the Harvard Crimson.

HOUSTON COUGARS (2-2)

Last week (1-1): W: Rice 97-89, L: Oregon 78-66

This week: Tuesday vs. Houston Baptist

After a heartbreaking loss to BYU, the Houston Cougars opened the week with a tremendous comeback win over their crosstown rival, the Rice Owls. The Cougars trailed by 15-point late in the first half before closing the period on a 13-5 run. To complete their second-half surge, Houston ignited for a 21-1 run late in the second half, which led to a 97-89 victory. Sophomore guard Quentin Grimes scored a career-high 32 points in the win, 21 coming in the second half.

Following the win, the Cougars could not capitalize on the momentum gained, as Houston fell to the No. 11 Oregon Ducks, in a game where they shot 10% from deep in the loss. Next week, the Cougars will return to the Fertitta Center on Tuesday to take on Houston Baptist Huskies.

RICE OWLS (6-3)

Last week (2-2): L: Houston (97-89), W: Milwaukee (75-69), L: Liberty ( 71-59), W: East Carolina (77-69)

This week: None

The Owls week got off to a rocky start after blowing a 15-point lead to the Houston Cougars. They then traveled to the Bahamas to take part in the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase, where the Owls picked up wins against the Milwaukee Panthers (75-69) and the East Carolina Pirates (77-69). In both games, senior guard, Ako Adams, stepped up big averaging 17.0 points on 53.3% shooting on 3-point field goals. However, by picking up a loss Saturday against the Liberty Flames (71-59), the Owls ended the tournament finishing in third place.

BAYLOR BEARS (5-1)

Last week (3-0): W: Ohio Bobcats (76-53), W: Coastal Carolina (77-65), W: Villanova (87-78)

This week: None

The Baylor Bears took part in the Myrtle Beach Invitational over the weekend and dominated their competition. Baylor opened the tournament with wins against the Ohio Bobcats (76-53) and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers ( 77-65), where they found themselves as underdogs in the championship round against the No. 17 Villanova Wildcats. Behind a 22-point performance from Jared Butler, the Bears defeated Villanova, 87-78, Sunday to win the Myrtle Beach Invitational. After winning the Myrtle Beach Invitational, Baylor is currently riding a five-game week streak heading into the Thanksgiving break.

TCU HORNED FROGS (4-1)

Last week (1-1): W: UC Irvine (59-58), L: Clemson (62-60 OT)

This week: Tuesday vs Wyoming

The TCU Men's Basketball team had back-to-back nail-biting games that ended on both sides of the spectrum. Sophomore guard, RJ Nembhard scored a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.7 seconds left to give the Horned Frogs a 59-58 victory over UC Irvine. Nembhard ended the night with a game-high 20 points while shooting 5-for-9 from deep. Unfortunately, TCU opened its MGM Resorts Main Event tournament losing in an overtime thriller to the Clemson Tigers, where they blew a 15-point lead in a 62-60 loss Sunday night. TCU will end their tournament against Wyoming on Tuesday.

TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (5-0)

Last week: (2-0) W: Tennessee State (72-57), W: Long Island (96-66)

This week: Thursday vs Iowa

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are hot to start the season and are showing no signs of slowing down.

The Red Raiders opened the Las Vegas Classic Regional Round with a 72-57 victory over the Tennessee State Tigers and a 96-66 win over the Long Island Sharks. Freshman guard, Jahmi'us Ramsey, maybe on the verge of taking home the award as the tournament's Most Valuable Player, as he scored 27 points while shooting 10-for-16 from the field, 5-for-6 from deep in a win over the Sharks.

Following a strong start, Texas Tech will continue their Las Vegas Classic tournament on Thursday in a Thanksgiving showdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

SMU MUSTANGS (5-0)

Last week (2-0): W: Evansville 59-57, W: UNLV 72-68

This week: Wednesday vs. Hartford, Friday vs Abilene Christian

Last week, the Mustangs continued their winning ways in a 59-57 nail-biter against the Evansville Purple Aces. Juinor guard Tyson Jolly helped SMU escaped with a narrow victory with 15 points, seven rebounds and a block. The Mustangs later extended their winning streak to five, in a 72-68 win over the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas. SMU will return to Dallas to begin a four-game homestand, which begins against the Hartford Hawks on Wednesday, and the Abilene Christian Wildcats on Friday.

LSU TIGERS (4-2)

Last week (2-1): W: UMBC (77-50), L: Utah St. (80-78), W: Rhode Island (96-83)

This week: Friday vs Missouri St.

The LSU Tigers opened the week with a blowout victory over the UMBC Retrievers before things got testy during the Jamaica Classic. The Tigers suffered a heartbreaking 80-78 loss on Friday when LSU fell to the Utah St. Aggie. The late-game heroics by Utah's Sam Merrill was enough to overcome a 30-point performance by LSU's Skylar Mays. The Tigers bounced back after the loss in a 96-83 victory over the Rhode Island Rams on Sunday. LSU will return to the court on Friday to take on Missouri St. inside the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, La.

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How Astros ran into a roadblock in Pittsburgh

For McCullers and the Astros, this one hit different

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How long can the bullpen carry the Astros? Composite Getty Image.

Lance McCullers Jr. gave the Astros a much-needed boost Tuesday night with his first win since 2022 — a feel-good moment for a pitcher who's battled through years of setbacks. But while it’s a step in the right direction, expectations should remain measured. The most anyone can realistically hope for is a return to something close to his 2021 form, when he posted a 13-5 record over a career-high 28 starts — the only time he’s cleared 25. It’s taken six outings just to notch his first win this year, making another double-digit victory season feel unlikely. And as encouraging as McCullers’ presence is, one healthy arm won’t be enough to fix a team still searching for consistency.

That’s especially true when the Astros’ current rotation issues have already begun to place an unsustainable load on the bullpen. Ryan Gusto and Colton Gordon have done an admirable job, but they've struggled to provide length with most of their outings, averaging just 4-5 innings.

However, manager Joe Espada remains hesitant to go with an opener strategy. “We’re not there yet,” he said recently to The Athletic's Chander Rome. He likes what he’s seen from the middle-inning relievers, but even he knows the current formula has an expiration date. The Astros’ bullpen — a strength all season — can’t continue carrying the weight without eventually cracking.

Pitching isn’t the only concern

The offense continues to sputter, and it’s now reached a point where even a soft schedule doesn’t offer much comfort. In Wednesday’s loss to the Pirates, the Astros were shut out. And for the sixth straight game, Houston has scored three runs or fewer. Christian Walker, the hero just one night prior with a go-ahead home run off Paul Skenes, followed up with two strikeouts and a double-play ball. One step forward, two steps back.

Outside of Jeremy Peña, the rest of the lineup looks stuck. Over the last seven days, Houston ranks 26th in OPS, 23rd in slugging, and 27th in runs scored. Somehow, they still managed to go 3-3 in that stretch, a testament to their pitching depth, but hardly a sustainable formula.

In the big picture, the inconsistency is what hurts most. Some weeks, the Astros look like a top-five offense. Other times, they can’t seem to scratch out a single run. That’s how you end up 14th in OPS for the season — squarely in the middle — and 18th in total runs scored.

If Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker don’t find their stride soon, this team’s ceiling starts to look a lot lower. The starting pitching probably won’t be much better than what it’s already shown. Which means the offense, as flawed as it’s been, is going to have to do the heavy lifting.

McCullers may finally be back, but unless others start stepping up soon, Houston’s climb back into World Series contention will only get harder. Fortunately, the AL West isn’t exactly a powerhouse — a reality that gives the Astros some breathing room. Still, fans in Houston expect more than just winning a weak division. They’re used to chasing banners, not just playoff spots.

There's so much more to cover! 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!

*ChatGPT assisted.

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