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Fox Sports
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor broke down in tears after NCAA loss. The chance to play meant that much
SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor broke down in tears after NCAA loss. The chance to play meant that much Updated Mar. 20, 2025 6:12 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Associated Press WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The best assist that Brian Taylor II made on Thursday after SIU Edwardsville had been routed by Houston in the school's first trip to the NCAA Tournament came long after the teams had walked off the floor. His buddy, Ray'Sean Taylor, was asked about the memories he'd take away from the day, and for him it had been the culmination of a dream. Ray'Sean grew up 20 minutes away from campus in Collinsville, Illinois, and he overcame two torn ACLs to shepherd the unheralded Cougars to an Ohio Valley Conference championship and a No. 16 seed in the March Madness field. The score of the game — a 78-40 loss that was never really close — hardly mattered to him. 'We won a championship, at the end of the day. I think that's going to cement everything I worked for and everything I went through,' Ray'Sean Taylor said, before his words began to stumble, tears began to flow, and the senior guard broke down in sobs. ADVERTISEMENT His coach, Brian Barone, put his arm around him. Tears were forming in Barone's eyes, too. That's when Brian Taylor stepped in to help his friend out. 'It's about bouncing back, having the attitude to fight adversity,' he said, while Ray'Sean Taylor tried to compose himself. 'This dude right here, he's been through a lot. It's a testament to his character, his work ethic, his community.' 'It's one team,' Brian Taylor said, 'and it really is one family.' It was the kind of raw, endearing moment that underscores exactly what the NCAA Tournament means to those who play in it, and the kind that Houston coach Kelvin Sampson hopes is always a part of it. As power leagues continue to push for NCAA Tournament expansion, perhaps to 72 or 76 teams in the near future, small schools from low- and mid-major conferences are concerned they might be further marginalized. The extra at-large bids will be handed out to the Big 12, Big Ten, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences, while smaller schools will be relegated to First Four-type games, and perhaps even have the automatic berths that are given to all conference champions eliminated altogether. 'This game is bigger than any individuals,' Sampson said matter-of-factly. 'The people who sit in these back rooms and try to make decisions on kids' experiences, sometimes those people forget where they came from.' Sampson certainly hasn't forgotten. He played at Pembroke State, a Division II school in North Carolina, and his first real coaching job came at Montana Tech, an NAIA school, because nobody else was willing to give him a chance. 'Having conference tournaments and having a chance to play for this tournament is great incentives for teams. It keeps teams in it,' he said. 'Most of these low- to mid-major conferences are one-bid leagues, and you never know if you can catch lightning in a bottle. Win three games and you're in. And once you're in, you never know. 'I hope we never get to a point where we don't allow everybody a chance to be involved in this and make memories for them.' Barone had hoped for a better showing Thursday. Everyone from SIUE did, including the thousands of fans who made the drive across Missouri to watch their team. If they didn't outnumber fans from Houston, Georgia or Gonzaga, they certainly were louder, even when their team was trailing by 30 and hope had long been extinguished. 'We won a championship,' said Barone, whose father, Tony Barone, was a longtime college coach. 'We earned the right to be seeded where we were seeded. That's how it works. ... That's what we did. That's what we earned.' While top-seeded Houston was putting the finishing touches on its seventh straight first-round NCAA Tournament win Thursday, the 69-year-old Sampson did something curious: He began to watch SIUE players rather than his own. 'I got tired of looking at us,' he said later, 'so I was really focused on their kids, and I was thinking, 'What a great memory for them.' They'll have this tape to show to their kids one day. 'We played in the greatest event in the world, March Madness.'' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor broke down in tears after NCAA loss. The chance to play meant that much
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The best assist that Brian Taylor II made on Thursday after SIU Edwardsville had been routed by Houston in the school's first trip to the NCAA Tournament came long after the teams had walked off the floor. His buddy, Ray'Sean Taylor, was asked about the memories he'd take away from the day, and for him it had been the culmination of a dream. Ray'Sean grew up 20 minutes away from campus in Collinsville, Illinois, and he overcame two torn ACLs to shepherd the unheralded Cougars to an Ohio Valley Conference championship and a No. 16 seed in the March Madness field. The score of the game — a 78-40 loss that was never really close — hardly mattered to him. 'We won a championship, at the end of the day. I think that's going to cement everything I worked for and everything I went through,' Ray'Sean Taylor said, before his words began to stumble, tears began to flow, and the senior guard broke down in sobs. His coach, Brian Barone, put his arm around him. Tears were forming in Barone's eyes, too. That's when Brian Taylor stepped in to help his friend out. 'It's about bouncing back, having the attitude to fight adversity,' he said, while Ray'Sean Taylor tried to compose himself. 'This dude right here, he's been through a lot. It's a testament to his character, his work ethic, his community.' 'It's one team,' Brian Taylor said, 'and it really is one family.' It was the kind of raw, endearing moment that underscores exactly what the NCAA Tournament means to those who play in it, and the kind that Houston coach Kelvin Sampson hopes is always a part of it. As power leagues continue to push for NCAA Tournament expansion, perhaps to 72 or 76 teams in the near future, small schools from low- and mid-major conferences are concerned they might be further marginalized. The extra at-large bids will be handed out to the Big 12, Big Ten, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences, while smaller schools will be relegated to First Four-type games, and perhaps even have the automatic berths that are given to all conference champions eliminated altogether. 'This game is bigger than any individuals,' Sampson said matter-of-factly. 'The people who sit in these back rooms and try to make decisions on kids' experiences, sometimes those people forget where they came from.' Sampson certainly hasn't forgotten. He played at Pembroke State, a Division II school in North Carolina, and his first real coaching job came at Montana Tech, an NAIA school, because nobody else was willing to give him a chance. 'Having conference tournaments and having a chance to play for this tournament is great incentives for teams. It keeps teams in it,' he said. 'Most of these low- to mid-major conferences are one-bid leagues, and you never know if you can catch lightning in a bottle. Win three games and you're in. And once you're in, you never know. 'I hope we never get to a point where we don't allow everybody a chance to be involved in this and make memories for them.' Barone had hoped for a better showing Thursday. Everyone from SIUE did, including the thousands of fans who made the drive across Missouri to watch their team. If they didn't outnumber fans from Houston, Georgia or Gonzaga, they certainly were louder, even when their team was trailing by 30 and hope had long been extinguished. 'We won a championship,' said Barone, whose father, Tony Barone, was a longtime college coach. 'We earned the right to be seeded where we were seeded. That's how it works. ... That's what we did. That's what we earned.' While top-seeded Houston was putting the finishing touches on its seventh straight first-round NCAA Tournament win Thursday, the 69-year-old Sampson did something curious: He began to watch SIUE players rather than his own. 'I got tired of looking at us,' he said later, 'so I was really focused on their kids, and I was thinking, 'What a great memory for them.' They'll have this tape to show to their kids one day. 'We played in the greatest event in the world, March Madness.'' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
SIUE's Ray'Sean Taylor broke down in tears after NCAA loss. The chance to play meant that much
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The best assist that Brian Taylor II made on Thursday after SIU Edwardsville had been routed by Houston in the school's first trip to the NCAA Tournament came long after the teams had walked off the floor. His buddy, Ray'Sean Taylor, was asked about the memories he'd take away from the day, and for him it had been the culmination of a dream. Ray'Sean grew up 20 minutes away from campus in Collinsville, Illinois, and he overcame two torn ACLs to shepherd the unheralded Cougars to an Ohio Valley Conference championship and a No. 16 seed in the March Madness field. The score of the game — a 78-40 loss that was never really close — hardly mattered to him. 'We won a championship, at the end of the day. I think that's going to cement everything I worked for and everything I went through,' Ray'Sean Taylor said, before his words began to stumble, tears began to flow, and the senior guard broke down in sobs. His coach, Brian Barone, put his arm around him. Tears were forming in Barone's eyes, too. That's when Brian Taylor stepped in to help his friend out. 'It's about bouncing back, having the attitude to fight adversity,' he said, while Ray'Sean Taylor tried to compose himself. 'This dude right here, he's been through a lot. It's a testament to his character, his work ethic, his community.' 'It's one team,' Brian Taylor said, 'and it really is one family.' It was the kind of raw, endearing moment that underscores exactly what the NCAA Tournament means to those who play in it, and the kind that Houston coach Kelvin Sampson hopes is always a part of it. As power leagues continue to push for NCAA Tournament expansion, perhaps to 72 or 76 teams in the near future, small schools from low- and mid-major conferences are concerned they might be further marginalized. The extra at-large bids will be handed out to the Big 12, Big Ten, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences, while smaller schools will be relegated to First Four-type games, and perhaps even have the automatic berths that are given to all conference champions eliminated altogether. 'This game is bigger than any individuals,' Sampson said matter-of-factly. 'The people who sit in these back rooms and try to make decisions on kids' experiences, sometimes those people forget where they came from.' Sampson certainly hasn't forgotten. He played at Pembroke State, a Division II school in North Carolina, and his first real coaching job came at Montana Tech, an NAIA school, because nobody else was willing to give him a chance. 'Having conference tournaments and having a chance to play for this tournament is great incentives for teams. It keeps teams in it,' he said. 'Most of these low- to mid-major conferences are one-bid leagues, and you never know if you can catch lightning in a bottle. Win three games and you're in. And once you're in, you never know. 'I hope we never get to a point where we don't allow everybody a chance to be involved in this and make memories for them.' Barone had hoped for a better showing Thursday. Everyone from SIUE did, including the thousands of fans who made the drive across Missouri to watch their team. If they didn't outnumber fans from Houston, Georgia or Gonzaga, they certainly were louder, even when their team was trailing by 30 and hope had long been extinguished. 'We won a championship,' said Barone, whose father, Tony Barone, was a longtime college coach. 'We earned the right to be seeded where we were seeded. That's how it works. ... That's what we did. That's what we earned.' While top-seeded Houston was putting the finishing touches on its seventh straight first-round NCAA Tournament win Thursday, the 69-year-old Sampson did something curious: He began to watch SIUE players rather than his own. 'I got tired of looking at us,' he said later, 'so I was really focused on their kids, and I was thinking, 'What a great memory for them.' They'll have this tape to show to their kids one day. 'We played in the greatest event in the world, March Madness.''
USA Today
17-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
SIU-Edwardsville 2025 college basketball national championship odds and futures
The SIU-Edwardsville Cougars (22-11) are in the conversation to win the national championship at the conclusion of the 2024-25 college basketball season, as oddsmakers have listed them at +100000 on the moneyline, the best odds in the OVC and the 54th-best odds among all college basketball teams. SIU-Edwardsville heads into this contest after a 69-48 victory against Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. Ray'Sean Taylor totaled 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Cougars. The Cougars play against the Houston Cougars, on Thursday, March 20 at 2 p.m. ET in the First Round. Houston is favored by 29.5, and the total is 127.5. Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll SIU-Edwardsville college basketball futures odds College basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 10:13 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Odds to win the national championship: +100000 (Bet $100 to win $100000) SIU-Edwardsville's best 2024-25 wins SIU-Edwardsville beat the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (No. 152 in the RPI) 69-48 on March 8, which is its top win of the season to date. In the win over Southeast Missouri State, Taylor contributed 20 points and Ring Malith chipped in 12. Other notable wins 73-65 at home over Little Rock (No. 219/RPI) on March 1 77-72 on the road over Indiana State (No. 236/RPI) on November 12 71-69 over Tennessee State (No. 238/RPI) on March 7 87-80 on the road over Tennessee State (No. 238/RPI) on January 16 84-72 at home over Tennessee State (No. 238/RPI) on February 15 SIU-Edwardsville stat leaders Malith leads the Cougars at 7.2 rebounds per contest, while also averaging 1.4 assists and 11.5 points. Brian Taylor II puts up 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 48.8% from the floor and 47.7% from beyond the arc (seventh in college basketball) with 1.2 made 3-pointers per contest. Desmond Polk puts up 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest, shooting 36.3% from the floor and 28.1% from beyond the arc with 1.0 made 3-pointers per game. Myles Thompson posts 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. At the other end, he delivers 0.5 steals and 0.4 blocked shots. SIU-Edwardsville 2024-25 stats
Fox News
10-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
College basketball rankings: Duke takes over No. 1; St. John's enters top 5
NCAA Tournament tickets are getting punched in the mid-major leagues. Power conference tournament brackets are being set. Stars are being born across America and turning into household names. March is in full swing and the next week is going to be glorious. Why? Because you truly never know what to expect. On Saturday, we saw SIU Edwardsville — better known as SIUE — claim its first NCAA Tournament berth behind star guard Ray'Sean Taylor going for 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 69-48 win over Southeast Missouri State in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Game. While the Cougars, who joined Division I in 2008, were making history on Saturday, Auburn and Alabama played the game of the year to date. Who wouldn't sign up for two more rounds between the Tigers and Tide with another potential showdown in the SEC Tournament, as well as some point in the NCAA Tournament? The Tigers tied the game at 91 on a second opportunity and a triple by Johni Broome, sending The Jungle into a frenzy and leaving Alabama coach Nate Oats to draw up a play with 14 seconds left for the win. Mark Sears got a step on one of the best defensive guards in America, Denver Jones, and the All-American made the most of it with a free-throw line runner at the buzzer. While Sears only scored nine points on 3-for-9 shooting from the floor, it's a testament to the Tide's offense that they still shot 52%. What changed in this rematch for Alabama to get revenge from the home loss it suffered three weeks prior? Alabama was the more physical team in key moments, with Grant Nelson delivering 23 points and eight rebounds, while Cliff Omoruyi showed why he was such a great transfer portal add from Rutgers, delivering 15 points and eight rebounds. With Labaron Philon supplying 15 points in the win, it masked some of what was missing. The other non-negotiable against Auburn is that you have to supply some resistance to its 3-point shooting. The Tigers' backcourt was able to find a rhythm at times, and Tahaad Pettiford was very good with 19 points and six assists off the bench, but coach Bruce Pearl's starting backcourt finished with 4-for-13 shooting from 3-point territory. Broome had 34 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, three assists and three steals in the loss, which speaks to Alabama's ability to take punches and counter. [Related: Mike DeCourcy's latest NCAA Tournament projections] Here are six other things that stood out from the weekend: Zuby Ejiofor hit a buzzer-beater for St. John's in the program's road opener at Providence, a 16-point comeback victory that really changed the course of the Red Storm's season at the time. After a furious scramble in overtime on Saturday, the junior big man cashed in again at the buzzer to give the Johnnies an 86-84 win over 20th-ranked Marquette. The fact that the Johnnies matched a single-season record for regular-season wins with 27 and matched last year's UConn national championship team with a conference-record 18 league wins in a season is incredible. RJ Luis, who I believe will be Big East Player of the Year, had 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Kadary Richmond was not to be outdone. The Brooklyn native had the program's first triple-double (10 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) since Metta Sandiford-Artest (formerly Ron Artest) did so in 1999. Coach Rick Pitino was on "The Tonight Show" on Thursday and completed a regular season that's as good as any the program has had on Saturday. He's the king of the world at this moment and should be at the top of the national coach of the year voting. How about Mark Pope and Kentucky? The Wildcats matched a college basketball record with their eighth top-15 win of the season, spoiling Missouri's Senior Day with a 91-83 victory. Kentucky can be a wagon offensively, and it showed on Saturday when Otega Oweh scored 22 points, Koby Brea was sizzling from deep with 17 points, and Andrew Carr had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Carr's leadership means so much to this team and obviously a healthy Lamont Butler keeps the Wildcats organized. They could lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament or be sitting in the Elite Eight. BYU has won eight in a row and is one of the hottest teams in the conference, powered by Richie Saunders and top draft prospect Egor Demin. That said, the story in the Big 12 still belongs to coach Kelvin Sampson. For Houston to go to 19-1 and steamroll to another outright regular-season title — this one coming by four games — is an amazing testament to Sampson. The Cougars are 34-4 in two years in Big 12 contests. Duke completed a 19-1 record in ACC play to grab the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, and the Blue Devils could be the reason North Carolina is kept out of the NCAA Tournament after pulling away in the second half to win 82-69 behind a balanced attack. Cooper Flagg? Generational. Fifteen points, nine rebounds, six steals, four blocks. Combine that with Kon Knueppel having 17 and the duo of Tyrese Proctor and Sion James combining for 32 to show why they're the No. 1 team in the NET, KenPom and Torvik. Coach Jon Scheyer has a team that can win it all in San Antonio. Illinois is back in my top 25 after three consecutive wins, two of which were ranked victories over Michigan, and most recently, Purdue on Friday. The way the Illini strung stops together on the Boilermakers in the 88-80 victory, closing the game on a 13-1 run, was really impressive. Shots were falling on the offensive end for the Illini, as Brad Underwood's squad drilled 11 triples. With a potential top-five pick in the NBA Draft in Kasparas Jakucionis and a solid core of veteran guys who have no shortage of making the right plays, there's a reason to believe that this team can make the second weekend of the Big Dance. Fellow freshman Will Riley tallied 22 points in the win, while Tre White had 20 points and nine rebounds. When White, a transfer from Louisville, scores more than 11 points in a game, Illinois is 10-1. Jakucionis had 10 points and seven assists, and even though it wasn't his best offensive day, he still made the shot of the game. Finally, bubble watch! With Duke's win over North Carolina, the 1-11 record in Quad 1 seems like the reason the selection committee might not include the Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament. Indiana might have punched its ticket to the Big Dance with a 66-60 win over Ohio State, giving the Hoosiers a combined nine wins in Quad 2. For Ohio State, its NET is 35 and its six Quad 1 wins are a real differentiator. Boise State lost by 10 on Friday night to Colorado State. The Rams were led by Nique Clifford with a career-high 36 points in their Mountain West Tournament-clinching victory over the Broncos. Meanwhile, Xavier has done all in its power over the last month to improve to a 12-3 record. The Musketeers got 46 points combined on Saturday from Zach Freemantle and Ryan Conwell on Senior Day in the win over Providence and clinched the No. 4 seed in the Big East Tournament. They will meet Marquette on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals. Getting a second Quad 1 victory would likely stamp Xavier's bid. Even with a loss, barring an extreme number of bid-stealers, the Musketeers are a top-50 metrics team with an 8-1 record vs. Quad 2 and no bad losses. With that, here's my updated top 25: 1. Duke (28-3)2. Houston (27-4)3. Auburn (27-4)4. Florida (27-4)5. St. John's (27-4)6. Alabama (24-7)7. Michigan State (26-5)8. Tennessee (25-6)9. Texas Tech (24-7)10. Clemson (26-5) 11. Maryland (24-7)12. Louisville (25-6)13. BYU (23-8)14. Iowa State (23-8)15. Memphis (26-5)16. Wisconsin (23-8)17. Kentucky (21-10)18. Saint Mary's (27-4)19. Texas A&M (22-9)20. Missouri (21-10)21. Illinois (20-11)22. Purdue (21-10)23. Oregon (22-8)24. UC San Diego (28-4)25. Drake (29-3) John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
