Latest news with #JosephTugler
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick Duke forward Cooper Flagg drives to the basket past Houston forward Joseph Tugler during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Duke forward Cooper Flagg drives to the basket past Houston forward Joseph Tugler during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) points toward Houston's Milos Uzan (7) during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) shoots as Houston's Joseph Tugler (11) defends during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) shoots as Houston's Joseph Tugler (11) defends during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Duke forward Cooper Flagg drives to the basket past Houston forward Joseph Tugler during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Duke forward Cooper Flagg drives to the basket past Houston forward Joseph Tugler during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) points toward Houston's Milos Uzan (7) during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) shoots as Houston's Joseph Tugler (11) defends during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The program announced Flagg's move in a social media post Monday following after a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old become only the fourth freshman named as The Associated Press national player of the year while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. Advertisement Flagg had reclassified to get to Duke a year early, and his decision was expected all year, even as he generally declined to spell out plans about his professional future as the season pushed into March or mentioned how much fun he had playing in college. 'I mean, it's been an incredible year with a really great group of people," Flagg told the AP in March after winning national player of the year. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals to lead the Blue Devils in each category. He's a versatile threat who showed the ability to thrive as a scorer, playmaker and defender. 'His highlights, his statistics, the ways he impacted the game on both ends of the floor, really in every category, was off the charts — as good of a freshman season that a guy has had here,' Duke coach Jon Scheyer said in a social media video from the program about Flagg's NBA declaration. Advertisement 'But to me the separator and the joy of coaching Cooper is the person he was every day, the teammate that he was — never about statistics or anything other than creating an environment and helping his team to win.' The statistical highlight came when Flagg scored 42 points to set an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman record against Notre Dame in January, along with having 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists to help Duke hold off Arizona in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. There were plenty of impressive single plays, too, that demanded highlight-reel placement like his transition dunk through a defender against Pittsburgh in January. Flagg closed with 27 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Houston in the national semifinals. The Blue Devils had led by 14 with about 8 1/2 minutes left but faltered late, with Houston scoring the game's last nine points in the final 33 seconds and Flagg missing a late shot for the lead. Still, he was an elite and hypercompetitive force for one of college basketball's top teams all season with a game far more advanced than his age, capable of making an impact from baseline to baseline and sideline to sideline. He won't turn 19 until December, which would be roughly two months into his rookie season. Advertisement Flagg is the third Duke player to announce an early exit for the NBA in the past week, joining freshman wing Kon Knueppel and junior guard Tyrese Proctor. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida roar back to break Houston hearts and capture third NCAA title
Houston forward Joseph Tugler reacts as Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen celebrates during Monday's second half. Photograph: Brynn Anderson/AP The Gators looked cooked. Down 12. Their star scoreless. The crowd roaring for the hometown favorites. And yet, Florida found a way – erasing the deficit, quieting the red sea inside the Alamodome, and capturing the program's third NCAA men's basketball championship. Advertisement Florida 65, Houston 63. The Gators trailed by double digits in the second half, and didn't lead again until the final minute – but it was enough. Alijah Martin calmly knocked down two free throws with 46.5 seconds left to give Florida a 64-63 edge, their first since 8-6. After a frantic final sequence, the Gators held on to win their first national title since 2007. It was a comeback born of grit, poise and the kind of big-moment performances that championships require. Florida trailed 42-30 with just under 16 minutes to play, reeling from an 11-2 Houston run that included two LJ Cryer threes and five personal fouls on the Gators in less than four minutes. But they responded with an eight-point burst in a 78-second blur to get within three, then tied it on a Walter Clayton Jr free throw at 48-all. Clayton, the All-American guard who had been held scoreless in the first half, never found his shooting rhythm – but became the engine of Florida's comeback in other ways. He finished with just 11 points – a far cry from his back-to-back 30-point outbursts against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight and Auburn on Saturday night – but had seven assists and set up multiple easy baskets for Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh as the Gators clawed back. Advertisement Will Richard carried the offense early, scoring 14 of his team-high 18 in the first half and keeping Florida afloat during a ragged opening stretch. Houston, seeking their first NCAA title in the program's 80-year history, led 31-28 at halftime and looked to be in control early in the second half with an estimated win percentage of more than 90% with 14 minutes left. Cryer finished with a game-high 19 points and Wilson added a spark off the bench with nine points, but the Cougars couldn't deliver the final blow. Despite the loss, this Final Four delivered everything. Both of Saturday's semi-finals went down to the wire, and Monday's final – with the score tied for the 12th time inside the last minute – capped one of the most thrilling Final Fours in recent memory. For Florida, the title is their third overall, joining the back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007. For Golden, just 39, it cements his place in history as the youngest coach to win a national title since North Carolina State's Jim Valvano – whose own stunning victory came at Houston's expense in 1983. Full report to follow.
USA Today
06-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Joseph Tugler injury update: Houston F turns ankle, returns to game vs. Duke
Hear this story Houston basketball's Joseph Tugler suffered an apparent ankle injury early in the Cougars' Final Four matchup with Duke on Saturday in San Antonio. Tugler, one of 10 finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year this season, was shown working out his ankle on the sideline's training bike after tweaking his ankle. Tugler was attempting to deny a pass to Duke's Khaman Maluach before coming down awkwardly on his ankle. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 5.5 points with 5.9 rebounds per game this season, but his averages don't show his impact on the floor. Tugler would be quite the loss for Houston, given his defensive versatility and expected impact on Cooper Flagg, the Naismith and Wooden Award winner this season. Tugler has started 32 of Houston's 39 games this season. He later returned to the court midway through the first half, but his effectiveness will be covered closely throughout the rest of the game after the tweak. Here's what to know of Tugler's injury on Saturday: Joseph Tugler injury update Tugler landed awkwardly on his ankle in the first half of Houston-Duke in the Final Four on Saturday. He stayed on the sideline and was shown working through the ailment on the training bike. The 6-foot-8 forward attempted to deny a pass to Maluach early in the first half but twisted his ankle as he landed on the court. It's seemingly good news he never went to the locker room, however. Tugler later reentered the game with 11:51 left in the first half, but it'll be interesting to see if the ankle tweak limits the star defender's impact at all.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Houston advances to seventh Final Four, overwhelms Tennessee 69-50
Houston's Joseph Tugler cuts down the net after his team's victory over Tennessee in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Houston's relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021, with L.J. Cryer scoring 17 points in a 69-50 victory on Sunday. Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime for top-seeded Houston (34-4) and was named the region's Most Outstanding Player. Advertisement Houston extended the nation's longest active winning streak to 17 games. The Cougars had been eliminated as a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16 in each of the past two years, but this time coach Kelvin Sampson's team has a shot at the program's first national title. The Cougars will face Cooper Flagg and five-time national champ Duke on Saturday in San Antonio — just a 3 1/2-hour drive from campus. The Cougars have reached the national title game twice, losing in 1983 to North Carolina State and in 1984 to Georgetown in the Phi Slama Jama era. SOUTH AUBURN 70, MICHIGAN STATE 64 ATLANTA (AP) — Johni Broome had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Auburn took command with 17 unanswered points in the first half to beat Michigan State and complete a sweep of No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four. Advertisement Auburn (32-5) earned its second Final Four trip, while Michigan State (30-7) fell short in its bid to send coach Tom Izzo to his ninth national semifinal. Auburn's only previous Final Four appearance came in 2019, also under coach Bruce Pearl. The South Region champion Tigers, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, became the last of the No. 1 seeds to advance to the Final Four — joining Florida, Duke and Houston. It's the first time all top seeds have reached the Final Four since 2008, which was the only previous year of all No. 1-seeded semifinalists since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Houston Cougars play the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars in first round of NCAA Tournament
Wichita, Kansas; Thursday, 2 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cougars -28.5; over/under is 126.5 BOTTOM LINE: No. 2 Houston plays SIU-Edwardsville in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Houston Cougars have gone 22-1 against Big 12 opponents, with an 8-3 record in non-conference play. Houston is third in the Big 12 with 10.7 offensive rebounds per game led by Joseph Tugler averaging 2.5. The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars' record in OVC games is 15-7. SIU-Edwardsville is the best team in the OVC allowing just 66.1 points per game while holding opponents to 40.2% shooting. Houston's average of 8.1 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.8 more made shots on average than the 7.3 per game SIU-Edwardsville allows. SIU-Edwardsville averages 7.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.7 more makes per game than Houston allows. TOP PERFORMERS: Milos Uzan is averaging 11.5 points and 4.2 assists for the Houston Cougars. LJ Cryer is averaging 17.4 points over the last 10 games. Ray'Sean Taylor is scoring 19.3 points per game and averaging 4.5 rebounds for the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars. Ring Malith is averaging 1.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Houston Cougars: 10-0, averaging 70.5 points, 30.0 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.3 points per game. SIU-Edwardsville Cougars: 7-3, averaging 72.5 points, 34.9 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 5.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.6 points. ___
