Latest news with #LiamMcNeeley
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Projected first-round pick Liam McNeeley declares for 2025 NBA draft
Projected first-round pick Liam McNeeley declares for 2025 NBA draft UConn forward Liam McNeeley told ESPN on Tuesday that he will declare for the 2025 NBA draft after a dazzling freshman campaign with the Huskies. McNeeley was the Big East Freshman of the Year after averaging 14.5 points, six rebounds and 2.3 assists on 38.1% shooting from the field. He is the seventh player in program history to win the award, joining the likes of Stephon Castle, Rudy Gay and Khalid El-Amin. The 6-foot-7 standout registered five 20-point games, including a career-high 38 points and 10 rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range on Feb. 11. He joined Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant as the only freshmen in modern history with 35 points, 10 rebounds and five 3s in a road game. McNeeley is projected to be a mid-first-round pick in the draft, given his size, feel and physical playing style. He also showed a knack for getting into the paint and finishing through contact, while also earning trips to the free-throw line. The 19-year-old entered the season highly touted as a shooter on the move and off the catch out of the Montverde Academy. However, he only converted 31.7% on 5.4 attempts per game from 3-point range, which will likely be an area of emphasis for him to improve this offseason. McNeeley will have the opportunity to improve his draft positioning in private workouts and the draft combine on May 11-18 in Chicago, Illinois. He is looking to be the third straight player from UConn to be drafted in the first round.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness 2025: Bad beat for bettors as last-second 3-pointer pushes Florida-UConn over the total
Every year during March Madness, we're accustomed to buzzer-beaters and last-second finishes — but usually they relate to the outcome of the game. In the betting world, these exist in the form of bad beats — and there was a particularly awful one for some bettors during the ending of the Florida-UConn game. With the betting total closing at 150.5 at BetMGM and other sportsbooks, those who had wagered on the game going under were in fantastic shape with the score 70-64 after Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. made a 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining in the game. But 18 points were scored over the final 40 seconds, including a meaningless-to-the-game-outcome Liam McNeeley 3-pointer at the buzzer, to push the game over the total in a 77-75 Florida win. The Huskies, 9.5-point underdogs against No. 1 Florida, did cover the spread in a record 14th straight NCAA tournament game, although that will be little consolation for their fans. UConn played well and led throughout most of the game. FLORIDA DEFEATS THE 2-TIME DEFENDING CHAMPS 🐊@GatorsMBK IS HEADED TO THE #SWEET16 🔥#MarhcMadness — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2025 The game going over the total was a bad result at BetMGM, which reported 87% of the money wagered on the over. One Vegas oddsmaker texted Yahoo Sports that the result was, simply, "no good."
Fox Sports
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 March Madness Bad Beats: Last-second 3 in Florida-UConn cashes Over
It was the 3-pointer heard 'round the betting world. Defending champion UConn faced off with 1-seed Florida in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 on Sunday, and it was a slobberknocker, start to finish. In the end, Florida emerged with a 77-75 win — but that doesn't complete the story. With the Gators leading 77-72, after two made free throws by sophomore forward Thomas Haugh, the win was essentially sealed for Florida, as only five seconds remained on the clock. However, UConn didn't stop playing. The Huskies pushed the ball upcourt before freshman forward Liam McNeeley took a deep 3 as time expired. Cash. Final score: 77-75. Can you guess what the Over/Under total was for the game? If you guessed 150.5, you were correct. That final 3 brought the total to 152, creating a win for Over bettors and a heartbreaking loss for those that took the Under. In fact, with just 11 seconds to go, Florida led 74-68, a total of 142 points. But over the course of those final 11 seconds, the two teams combined to score 10 points to bring the total to 152. Adding further insult to Over bettors, McNeeley was 1-for-7 from 3 prior to that long connection. He finished the game 2-for-8 from distance. Better luck next round, Over bettors. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
New York Times
21-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How to watch UConn vs. Oklahoma: Odds, storylines for men's NCAA Tournament matchup
Can the defending champion UConn Huskies do it again? The odds are against them, as they currently sit way down on the title board at +2500 to win it all. This matchup will be fun to watch as it features three electric players in Jeremiah Fears, Solo Ball and Liam McNeeley. And, of course, the ever-temperamental Huskies coach Dan Hurley. Fears, a projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, can take over any game when he steps on the court. Can he lead the Sooners to an upset? We've got a breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the matchup, plus odds and viewing info. Our game previews are a collaborative effort between The Athletic staff, The Field of 68 and Brad Evans' The Gaming Juice. Dive into March Madness with The Athletic Projecting the bracket | Best picks to win the title Strengths: When UConn's offense is humming, few teams are more dangerous. Sophomore Solo Ball has made the leap as one of college basketball's most dangerous shooters, while Liam McNeeley has shown the ability to completely dominate a game. The Huskies are top-five nationally in assist rate, and before McNeeley and veteran point guard Hassan Diarra went down with injuries, they were KenPom's best offensive unit this side of Auburn. And with Alex Karaban's midseason slump a thing of the past, they're one of the most difficult teams in the tournament to defend. They are one of the few squads in the field with the ability to beat anyone on a night when they get hot. Advertisement Weaknesses: As good as UConn is offensively, that's how bad it can be defensively. There are two real issues on that end of the floor. For starters, the Huskies cannot stop fouling. They rank in the bottom 10th percentile in defensive fouls per possession — opponents live at the free-throw line — which is a problem exacerbated by the fact that their best offensive weapons struggle to prevent dribble penetration. The odd part is that they are arguably the best rim-protecting team in the country, but too often the combination of over-helping on an opponent's paint touch and weakside defenders getting lost leads to open shooters. The simplest way to explain it: A team full of players who rate somewhere between average and poor defensively probably isn't going to be great defensively, regardless of the scheme. Outlook: UConn has to be great offensively if it is going to have a chance to get to the second weekend, and the Huskies finally look like themselves on that end of the floor after a rough start to the new year. They ranked closer to top 50 than top five in offensive efficiency in 2025, according to BartTorvik, and a big reason was just a simple lack of toughness. They run as intricate of an offense as anyone in college basketball, but teams that can get physical with them defensively, blow up their timing, and force them to run offense from 'behind the line of scrimmage,' so to speak. And if they are not firing on all cylinders offensively, they are an average team. UConn is good enough to win a game it is supposed to win, but I do not expect the Huskies to be able to upset one of the top seeds in the tournament. The dream of a three-peat won't last past the first weekend. —Rob Dauster Strengths: Jeremiah Fears is one of college basketball's most electric players as a freshman and is a projected NBA lottery pick. When the 6-foot-4 guard is on, Oklahoma is tough to beat. The Sooners are 8-2 when Fears scores 20 or more points with wins against Arizona, Michigan, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Missouri and Georgia. He's a major reason why the Sooners are top-25 in offensive efficiency. Senior forward Jalon Moore, the team's second-leading scorer (16.0 points per game) behind Fears (17.0), gives OU a great one-two scoring combo that can fill it up with any duo in the country. Advertisement Weaknesses: The Sooners are undersized, and it shows in the rebounding numbers. They rank in the 280s in rebounding margin and grab only 26.9 percent of their misses, the second-lowest mark in the SEC. Factor that in with a bit of a turnover bug, and this team does not have much margin for error. Oklahoma ranks lower than 150 in turnover percentage offense and doesn't force opponents to cough up the ball much. Fears is the heart and soul of this squad, but riding a freshman in the NCAA Tournament can be challenging, especially when he's averaging 3.5 turnovers per game. Outlook: Having potentially the best player on the court at any given moment from the guard spot could give OU some juice. But with the way the Sooners have struggled to piece together wins in the SEC, they could be an early flameout. Well, unless Fears goes nuclear. —Sam Lance (Photo of Liam McNeeley: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UConn takes on Oklahoma in first round of NCAA Tournament
Oklahoma Sooners (20-13, 7-13 SEC) vs. UConn Huskies (23-10, 15-7 Big East) Raleigh, North Carolina; Friday, 9:25 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Huskies -5.5; over/under is 147.5 BOTTOM LINE: UConn faces Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies' record in Big East games is 15-7, and their record is 8-3 in non-conference play. UConn scores 77.4 points and has outscored opponents by 9.4 points per game. The Sooners are 7-13 in SEC play. Oklahoma ranks second in the SEC shooting 37.0% from 3-point range. UConn scores 77.4 points per game, 2.6 more points than the 74.8 Oklahoma gives up. Oklahoma averages 8.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.1 more made shots on average than the 6.5 per game UConn gives up. TOP PERFORMERS: Solomon Ball is averaging 14.6 points for the Huskies. Liam McNeeley is averaging 15.4 points over the last 10 games. Brycen Goodine is shooting 43.4% from beyond the arc with 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Sooners, while averaging 8.1 points. Jeremiah Fears is averaging 20.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Huskies: 7-3, averaging 73.5 points, 34.4 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 5.0 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.8 points per game. Sooners: 4-6, averaging 79.6 points, 29.8 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 6.5 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 82.2 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
