COLLEGE BASKETBALL REPORT
NCAA hoops: Another big win for Tech, Baylor and A&M struggle
Jan 15, 2018, 9:03 am
What is going on with Billy Kennedy and A&M? SportsDay
TEXAS LONGHORNS (11-6, 2-3 BIG XII)
Last week (1-1): W-TCU 99-98 2OT, L-@ Oklahoma State 65-64
This week: Wednesday vs. Texas Tech, Saturday @ West Virginia
Playing their first game since the announcement that sophomore guard Andrew Jones has been diagnosed with leukemia, the Longhorns played possibly their game of the season and beat TCU 99-98 in double overtime. The Horns were forced to play with a limited rotation with the absence of Jones and the injured Kerwin Roach. Only seven players got minutes in the game, including Dylan Osetkowski logging 20 points in his 49 minutes on the floor. Eric Davis, Jr. led Texas in scoring with 22 off the bench. The Oklahoma State Cowboys wouldn’t miss their shot in the final seconds, as Tavarius Shine tipped in the game winner with only 6 seconds left in OSU’s 65-64 victory. Texas had a double digit lead throughout most of the 2nd half, but a late 13-0 run got the Pokes back in the game. Davis again led the Horns with 18 points in defeat. Mohamed Bamba put up 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Horns face the top of the conference this week, taking on Texas Tech and taking a road trip to West Virginia.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES (11-6, 0-5 SEC)
Last week (0-2): L-@ Kentucky 74-73, L-@ Tennessee 75-62
This week: Tuesday vs. Ole Miss, Saturday vs. Missouri
Once off to an extremely promising start, the wheels may be falling off in College Station. Texas A&M got Robert Williams and Admon Gilder back, but their return wasn’t enough to stop their slide in SEC play. Kentucky, playing without Quade Green, stole a 74-73 victory over the Aggies on Tuesday. The Aggies had two missed three pointers in the closing seconds from Gilder and D.J. Hogg. Tyler Davis’ performance was the highlight of the loss, as he put up 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting. After a few close losses for the Aggies, they got blown out by Tennessee, 75-62. Rebounding and turnovers were a big part of the Aggies’ problems. They had 17 turnovers and got out-rebounded 38-29. Gilder had 16 points in the win. Next week’s schedule has the Aggies at home against Ole Miss and Mizzou.
HOUSTON COUGARS (14-3, 4-1 AAC)
Last week (2-0): W-Tulsa 104-71, W-@ East Carolina 65-49
This week: Wednesday @ Tulane, Saturday vs. Wichita State
Coming off a frustrating loss to Wichita State last week, Houston came out with a vengeance on Thursday night, logging a lopsided 104-71 win over Tulsa. They did it in historic fashion, hitting 18 three pointers, the most in AAC history in a conference game, and set a school record for most points scored in a conference game. Rob Gray led the way with 34 points and 8 assists in the win. The Coogs shot 55% from the field to Tulsa’s 39%. The Cougars kept rolling against East Carolina, taking a 65-49 win over the Pirates. Corey Davis, Jr. led the Coogs with 20, and Rob Gray added 12 points and 9 assists. Houston held East Carolina to under 30% from the field in the win. The Cougars travel to Tulane on Wednesday and get a rematch with Wichita State this weekend.
RICE OWLS (4-14, 1-4 CUSA)
Last week (0-1): L-North Texas 85-78
This week: Thursday @ Southern Miss, Saturday @ Louisiana Tech
Rice had no answers for North Texas’ 3-point shooting, as the Mean Green hit 17 3-pointers en route to an 85-78 win over the Owls. Connor Cashaw was the bright spot for Rice, scoring 30 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. Ako Adams also pitched in 16 points in the effort. The Owls’ disastrous season continues with road trips to Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech on the schedule this week.
BAYLOR BEARS (11-6, 1-4 BIG XII)
Last week (0-2): L-@ West Virginia 57-54, L-@ Iowa State 75-65
This week: Monday vs. Oklahoma State, Saturday @ Kansas
Baylor did a great job defensively against West Virginia, but at the end of the day the Mountaineers walked away with a 57-54 win. The Bears were hoping for a measure of revenge. Last season, Baylor went into West Virginia with the school’s first ever #1 ranking, and were promptly blown out by WVU. This year it was 2nd ranked West Virginia, their highest ranking since Jerry West played there, defending their poll placement. The Bears held WVU to 31% shooting, but shot only 35% themselves in the loss. Baylor’s 21 turnovers were a killer, as they only forced 11. Manu Lecomte led the Bears with 13 points in defeat. The Bears lost again on Saturday, dropping a 75-65 battle with Iowa State. Freshman Tristan Clarke had his best game of the year, putting up 16 points and 15 rebounds for Baylor in the loss. The Bears shot just 4-18 from 3-point distance, including a brutal 0-7 from Lecomte. Baylor gets Oklahoma State before traveling to Kansas this week.
TCU HORNED FROGS (13-4, 1-4 BIG XII)
Last week (0-2): L-@ Texas 99-98 2OT, L-@ Oklahoma 102-97 OT
This week: Wednesday vs. Iowa State, Saturday @ Kansas State
TCU suffered a heartbreaking loss to Texas on Wednesday night, dropping a 99-98 double overtime thriller. Jaylen Fisher missed a game winning layup at the buzzer. The Frogs rallied from a 13 point 2nd half deficit to take the game to overtime, led by Kenrich Williams 26 points. The woes continued for TCU against Oklahoma, with TCU dropping another OT thriller 102-97. Fisher led the Frogs with 22 points, but his OU counterpart Trae Young put up 43 points for the Sooners. The loss was TCU’s 4th Big XII loss after going 12-0 in non-conference play. All 4 losses have been by 4 points or less, and the Texas loss was their 2nd by a single point. TCU gets Iowa State and Kansas State in the coming week.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (15-2, 4-1 BIG XII)
Last week (1-1): L- @ Oklahoma 75-65, W-West Virginia 72-71
This week: Wednesday @ Texas, Saturday @ Iowa State
Texas Tech struggled to defend one of the best players in the country, particularly in the 2nd half, as Trae Young and Oklahoma got a 75-65 victory on Tuesday. Young, who leads the nation in scoring and assists, put up 27 and 9 in the win. Tech’s defense held up in the first half, allowing Oklahoma only 29 points, but the Sooners boomed in the 2nd half, running away with the game by shooting 56% in the 2nd half. Keenan Evans put up 19 in the loss. He was the only Red Raider in double digits. Things got brighter for the Raiders, as they got their biggest win of the season on Saturday, a 72-71 win over West Virginia. Tech shot 50% from the field, and were led by Keenan Evans 20 points. Tech senior forward Zach Smith has a broken foot, and may not play for the rest of the season. The Red Raiders travel to Texas and Iowa State this week.
SMU MUSTANGS (12-6, 2-3 AAC)
Last week (0-1): L-Temple 66-64
This week: Wednesday @ Wichita State, Saturday vs. Tulane
SMU lost a shocker to Temple on Thursday, 66-64 in Dallas. The loss broke a 33-game home winning streak for SMU, which was the second longest streak in the country. Shake Milton led the Mustangs with 25 points. He hit 5 of his 6 free throws. The rest of the Ponies combined to shoot 4 of 11 from the stripe. SMU has now lost 3 straight games after a strong non-conference run and a 2-0 start to conference play. Things won’t get easier this week as SMU travels to play top-5 ranked Wichita State and return home for a revenge matchup against Tulane.
LSU TIGERS (11-5, 2-2 SEC)
Last week (1-1): W-@ Arkansas 75-54, L-Alabama 74-66
This week: Tuesday vs. Georgia, Saturday @ Vanderbilt.
On a night when LSU star Tremont Waters wasn’t at his best, senior forward Aaron Epps stepped up with 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 75-54 win over Arkansas. Waters, who had been on fire of late, had just 8 points on 3 of 10 shooting. LSU shot 53% from the field, holding the Hogs to just 33%. The LSU roller coaster hit another low against Alabama over the weekend, as the Tide took a 74-66 victory over the Tigers. Waters led the Tigers with 19 points, on just 5-13 shooting. The Tide bench outscored LSU’s 28-11. LSU gets Georgia at home before taking a road trip to Vanderbilt this week.
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If the Astros were going to win one series and lose the other on their six-game road trip out of the All-Star break, they got it right in taking two out of three games at Seattle then losing two out of three to lousy Oakland. Had they inverted those results, the Astros would not be alone atop the American League West starting this weekend’s series against the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park.
By the schedule the Astros’ sledding now gets tougher. The Dodgers are rolling toward their 11th National League West crown in 12 years, despite their pitching staff having been battered by injuries every bit as much as the Astros’. The Astros will face three rookie starters this weekend. National League Rookie of the Year candidate (non-Paul Skenes division) Gavin Stone goes Friday. Saturday it’s Justin Wrobleski making his fourth big league start, Sunday River Ryan makes his second. 325 million dollar addition Yoshinobu Yamamoto last pitched June 15. Tony Gonsolin is out for the year without throwing a pitch. Clayton Kershaw’s first pitch Thursday marks the first of his season. Tyler Glasnow’s Wednesday return from the Injured List means the Astros won’t face him this weekend.
Aside: Astros’ fan favorite Joe Kelly is back in the Dodgers’ bullpen. He was activated from the IL out of the break, so the opportunity to welcome him back to Minute Maid Park looms!
After the Dodgers, the Pirates hit town with Skenes slated to pitch Monday opposite Jake Bloss. Gulp. Hey, in one game, you never know. Skenes has been the most electric rookie pitcher since Dwight Gooden with the Mets in 1984.
Sleepless in Seattle
The Mariners’ unraveling has reached historic proportions. It’s not easy losing six straight matchups with the lowly Angels but the Mariners were down to the challenge and pulled it off. The M’s have stumble-bummed their way to a 9-20 record over their last 29 games. That’s actually a better winning percentage than the Astros’ had after staggering from the starting gate to a 7-19 mark. Like the Astros did, the Mariners can right their ship, though if they don’t add quality offense before Tuesday’s trade deadline it seems unlikely. Seattle has scored more than two runs in one of its last eight games, the only win among those eight when the Mariners got to Ronel Blanco and Seth Martinez Sunday to avoid an Astros’ sweep. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers whipping up on the laughingstock Chicago White Sox this week has their World Series title defense very much alive and a threat to overtake both the Astros and Mariners.
The trade deadline is this Tuesday
Tick-tock toward Tuesday’s 5PM Central Time trade deadline. General Manager Dana Brown is on the clock. Let’s start with starting pitchers. Tarik Skubal! Garrett Crochet! Jack Flaherty! Any would be a fabulous addition. If Brown acquires one, he will have done phenomenal work cajoling the trade partner into thinking the Astros’ offer the best. Frankly it seems impossible. The Orioles are in the starting pitcher market. Their farm system runs laps around what the Astros have. Numerous other teams on the hunt for pitching have higher rated minor league talent. The Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys are having a fabulous season, but until the Astros Thursday moved up soon to be 24-year-old Jacob Melton (who was batting just .248 with a .307 on-base percentage at Double-A Corpus Christi) there was not one non-pitcher of any consequence younger than 25 on the roster. Pedro Leon, Shay Whitcomb, Will Wagner, and include Joey Loperfido: it would be shocking if any of them can be the best player in an offer good enough to land one of the potential big trade fish. All four of them wouldn’t be enough to land a Skubal or Crochet.
On the hitter side, if the Blue Jays shop Vlad Jr. and/or the Rays take offers for Paredes, of course Brown better try. Either would be a sharp upgrade over Jon Singleton, and Guerrero can’t become a free agent until after next season, with Paredes under team control through 2027. Reality check time. Seattle’s offense is in dire straits. The Mariners have four prospects rated higher than any Astros’ prospect. If the Mariners didn’t make a winning offer over what the Astros proposed, Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto would look like a timid clown.
That said, there will be several second and third tier starters and relievers moved who would boost the Astros. If Spencer Arrighetti and Jake Bloss are both still in the Astros’ starting rotation after the deadline, Dana Brown will have failed. That said, the Astros could well stand pat and win the Mild, Mild West. They could also finish third.
Go for the gold!
With the Olympics underway, a medal podium-style ranking of the Astros’ greatest trade deadline acquisitions:
No medal but cannot be omitted: Randy Johnson. It was a brief fling with “The Big Unit” in 1998 but it was spectacular. It elevated Houston as a baseball city. In 11 regular season starts Johnson went 10-1 with a 1.28 earned run average. He threw shutouts in his first four Astrodome starts. He spiked attendance like no other player in franchise history. Even though the San Diego Padres beat Johnson twice (Johnson pitched fine, the Astros scored two runs total in the two games) and bounced the Astros in a National League Division Series, and prospects Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen included in the deal both went on to have excellent careers, it was a trade that in hindsight you make 100 times out of 100.
Bronze: Jeff Bagwell. Reliever Larry Andersen was outstanding in helping the Boston Red Sox win the AL East in 1990, but the BoSox got swept in the ALCS and Andersen left as a free agent. Bagwell has the greatest offensive resume in Astros’ history (I know, I know, postseason aside) and is quite arguably one of the 10 greatest first basemen of all-time.
Silver: Yordan Alvarez. He has longevity to prove but to this point in his career, while not the all-around player Bagwell was, Yordan is clearly the more destructive force in the batter’s box. Throw in his three monstrously significant home runs in the 2022 Astros’ title run, and his awesome 2023 postseason, and what could still lie ahead for him and the Gold could be his if we revisit this topic 10 years from now. Imagine the Dodgers if they hadn’t gifted Yordan to the Astros for Josh Fields.
Gold: Justin Verlander. Astros’ World Series championships pre-JV, zero. With him, two. Even though his World Series resume is terrible. The finishing piece to the Astros’ initial championship winner in 2017 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts ahead of winning the 2017 ALCS MVP, a second crown in 2022, two Cy Young Awards and a Cy runner-up. Interesting decision to make for the cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Much more body of work with the Tigers but the championships and legend cemented with the Astros.
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.