Latest news with #SWEET16
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aaliyah Chavez, No. 1-ranked high school player, commits to Oklahoma women's basketball
Aaliyah Chavez, the No. 1-ranked women's college basketball recruit in the nation, has announced her college decision. Chavez, the National Gatorade Player of the Year in 2025, announced her commitment to Oklahoma live via ESPN's "SportsCenter" on Tuesday afternoon. She chose the Sooners over Texas, Texas Tech, LSU, South Carolina and UCLA. Advertisement Chavez, a 5-foot-9 point guard, is rated the No. 1 player nationally, according to ESPN's rankings. Her Gatorade Player of the Year honor also puts her in elite company, which includes Juju Watkins, Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore, among many others. UConn's Azzi Fudd, South Carolina's Joyce Edwards and UCLA's Kiki Rice, who are all still playing in the women's NCAA Tournament, also won the award. SWEET 16 RANKINGS: Reseeding women's NCAA Tournament field from No. 1 to No. 16 Chavez, who attends Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas, averaged 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this season while leading her team to a Class 5A state championship. She was also selected as a McDonald's All-American and scored 50 or more points nine times in her high school career. Advertisement The Sooners are a team on the rise, especially after Chavez's commitment. Oklahoma made the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 this season and are set to return star forward Raegan Beers, the No. 1-ranked transfer last offseason. On3's Pete Nakos reported Tuesday that Chavez is expected to also sign an NIL deal with Jordan Brand, which sponsors Oklahoma's football and men's and women's basketball teams. Chavez made some noise with her March commitment, but this time next year she looks to be making some noise in March Madness. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaliyah Chavez commitment: Top recruit joins Oklahoma basketball
USA Today
29-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Hailey Van Lith stats: TCU star breaks team record for single-season points
Hailey Van Lith stats: TCU star breaks team record for single-season points Show Caption Hide Caption You don't need a NCAA championship to excel, according to Lisa Leslie A former USC Trojan, Lisa Leslie never won a NCAA tournament championship herself, and believes players don't need it to be great in the WNBA. Sports Seriously TCU women's basketball guard Hailey Van Lith continued her historic season with the Horned Frogs on Saturday, further etching her name in the program's record book. Van Lith's 3-pointer to take a 62-55 lead over No. 3 seed Notre Dame on Saturday in the Sweet 16 of women's NCAA Tournament gave her TCU's single-season record for points scored in a season. She had already broken the single-season assists record in her lone season with the program. The fifth-year senior was sensational on Saturday, dropping a game-high 26 points on 10 of 21 shooting in TCU's 71-62 win over Notre Dame. She also grabbed nine rebounds and dished four assists to send the No. 2 seeded Horned Frogs to their first ever Elite Eight appearance after they secured their first ever Sweet 16 berth. Van Lith, who spent the first three seasons of her career at Louisville, transferred to LSU for the 2023-24 season before making the move to Fort Worth, Texas, for her final season. The move paid off, as she was named the Big 12 Player of the Year after averaging 17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season. Van Lith has 663 points this season after her performance on Saturday. Here's a look at Van Lith's stats as she broke the TCU program record for points against the Fighting Irish: SWEET 16 HIGHLIGHTS: Van Lith's record-setting game powers TCU past Notre Dame Hailey Van Lith scoring record Van Lith broke TCU's single-season scoring record on Saturday after dropping a game-high 26 points in its 71-62 win over Notre Dame in the Sweet 16. The previous record was held by Sandora Irvin, who scored 657 points in 2004-05. Van Lith also set the program's new single-season assists record in TCU's first-round win over Fairleigh Dickinson, breaking the previous record of 180 assists set by Natasha Lacy also in 2004-05. Van Lith has 202 assists on the year now after her game on Saturday. Hailey Van Lith Elite Eight record Van Lith has now reached the Elite Eight with each school the has played for: Louisville, LSU and now TCU. Van Lith is the only player to accomplish such a feat in the men's or women's NCAA Tournament history, according to ESPN. Hailey Van Lith stats Here are Van Lith's season-by-season stat averages in college:
New York Times
28-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Texas Tech is Elite: Red Raiders rally from 16 down to top Arkansas in OT
SAN FRANCISCO — Darrion Williams grew up in Sacramento before moving to Las Vegas. Asked if there was an increase in the usual amount of ticket requests for a Sweet 16 game against Arkansas, the Texas Tech wing answered affirmatively and with a smile. And now the list might get longer for Saturday night. Advertisement Williams hit a 3-pointer to cap a massive comeback in regulation and then backed his way into a game-winner at the rim with seven seconds left in overtime, sending the Red Raiders to an 85-83 win over the Razorbacks and into an Elite Eight matchup with No. 1 seed Florida. Texas Tech trailed by as many as 16 points and was down 13 with four and a half minutes to play. It appeared as though John Calipari would storm back into an Elite Eight for the first time in six years, after an ugly divorce with Kentucky and a move 700 miles west to Fayetteville. It appeared the SEC would guarantee itself a Final Four participant with a matchup of two of its record 14 NCAA Tournament entrants at the Chase Center on Saturday. D5. CLUTCH. AGAIN! THE SECOND LARGEST COMEBACK EVER IN THE SWEET 16!#TTW | 📺 TBS — Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) March 28, 2025 Instead, Arkansas put the ball in the hands of sophomore D.J. Wagner for three of the biggest shots of the game, despite getting 30 points from Johnell Davis and 20 from Karter Knox on the night. Wagner missed a potential game-winner at the end of regulation, tied it before Williams' heroics in overtime and then came up short on a jumper as time expired. It was, to be polite, not the best offensive night for Texas Tech or Williams, its 6-foot-6 junior hero, on the whole. The team's second-leading scorer missed his first four shots and wound up shooting just 8-for-26 overall. The team hit just 41 percent from the game. But that included a 5-for-6 showing in overtime, which was just enough to nudge past the Razorbacks. The deficit was 13 points with four and a half minutes left to play, the Red Raiders left with only slivers of a chance by the metrics. When freshman Christian Anderson drained a 3-pointer with 2:06 to play, Texas Tech had gone on a 10-0 run, cut the deficit to three and goaded Arkansas into a timeout to discuss how not to blow what seemed like a fait accompli. Advertisement The suddenly stagnant Arkansas offense found its answer where it had all night: beyond the arc. A Knox corner 3-pointer beat the shot clock and built the lead back to six. But Anderson then drained another 3-pointer to answer with a little more than a minute remaining, and once again, Texas Tech forced Arkansas into a late shot-clock look. This time, Trevon Brazile bricked a look from long range. But another 3-pointer from Anderson came up short down the other end. Jonas Aidoo then missed the front end of a one-and-one, and when the clock didn't begin to roll on the rebound, it afforded Texas Tech a free timeout to draw up a set with 24.6 seconds left, trailing 72-69. Nothing worked, and the ball found its way into Williams' hands. He hoisted from deep and made just his second 3-pointer in 10 attempts to tie the game at 72-72 with 9.7 seconds left in regulation. Instead of getting the ball into either the hands of Davis or Knox, Calipari let Wagner pick up steam and drive for a decisive score. The former five-star recruit's off-balance floater didn't fall, extending the night by at least five minutes. Arkansas and Texas Tech effectively traded scores or stops for the first two and a half minutes of overtime. Davis was then swatted on a drive to the rim and Toppin followed with a score in the paint to nudge Texas Tech ahead 81-78 with 1:41 left. No one could catch their breath, still. Brazile stepped into a top-of-key 3-pointer out of a timeout to tie it at 81-81. Toppin answered with a hook in the lane. Wagner made an impossible shot in the lane. Williams then backed down toward the rim and effectively willed a shot to go down. When Wagner's jumper at the horn came up short, it was Texas Tech — not Arkansas — ending an Elite Eight absence a half a dozen years long and doing so with the second-biggest comeback ever in a Sweet 16 game. (Photo of Darrion Williams: Eakin Howard / Imagn Images)
USA Today
27-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
With Arizona in Sweet 16, Caleb Love gets last shot at Duke in rivalry started at North Carolina
With Arizona in Sweet 16, Caleb Love gets last shot at Duke in rivalry started at North Carolina No opposing player in this NCAA men's tournament has known Duke quite like Arizona guard Caleb Love. Before joining the Wildcats as a transfer before last season, Love spent three years as a high-value stater at North Carolina, playing against the Blue Devils twice every regular season and again in one of the most marquee matchups in tournament history. 'I think it's definitely been a journey. My journey has been a lot of adversity, a lot of ups and downs, and everything in between,' Love said. 'But I think it's made me who I am as a person and a player. I've grown so much over the course of my college career, not only on the court but off the court. I've learned so much, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.' Former UNC forward Tyler Hansbrough is one of the most revered players in program history not only for some prolific production, including a school-record 2,872 points and 1,219 rebounds, but for his performance against the Tar Heels' do-or-die rival: Hansbrough went 6-2 overall against Duke, including 4-0 in games played at Cameron Indoor Stadium. In terms of total appearances, at least, Love has already done Hansbrough one better. The senior will be in the starting lineup for his 10th career meeting against the Blue Devils when No. 4 Arizona meets No. 1 Duke on Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of the East region. Across these nine previous meetings, including two since joining the Wildcats, Love has averaged 15.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, with three 20-point performances. 'It's a big matchup because it's the next game. It's the only game that matters,' he said after the Wildcats' 87-83 win against No. 5 Oregon in the second round. 'Obviously, our mind was focused on Oregon and we got it done and now we're going to get in the film room and lock in on Duke and what they do. Obviously, they're a great team, they're well coached, and we'll be ready for them when the time comes.' NCAA FORECAST: How our experts predict the Sweet 16 and beyond SWEET 16 RESEED: Ranking the remaining tournament teams from 1 to 16 Love is 5-4 in games against the Blue Devils, including a 1-1 mark at Arizona. The two teams met at the McKale Memorial Center this past November, with Love scoring 8 points on 3 of 13 shooting in a 69-55 loss. 'Obviously, we're a different team than when we played them, and we didn't play good that game,' said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. 'I'm sure they would say they're a different team, and I don't think Duke played that great that game. It's going to be interesting to see how it looks when we get out there (Thursday).' As a freshman, he scored 25 points in a 98-87 win against Duke on Feb. 6, 2021, and then had another 18 points in a 91-73 win exactly one month later. As a junior, he scored a combined 23 points with seven rebounds and seven assists in 63-57 and 62-57 losses on Feb. 4 and Mar. 4, 2023. But it was as a sophomore that Love etched his place in the rivalry's history. After being held to just eight points in an 87-67 loss on Feb. 5, 2022, Love dropped 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a 94-81 win the following month. Then, on Apr. 2, Love was the shining star of the one and only tournament meeting between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils — an 81-77 win by UNC in the Final Four that served as the final game of coach Mike Krzyzewski's career. After missing his first four attempts, he finished with a game-high 28 points on 11 of 20 shooting, including a key 3-pointer to push the lead to 78-74 with 25 seconds to play, and then made three free throws down the stretch to ice the win. 'I just think that me not being afraid of the moment and me trying to impose my will, kind of like St. Louis swagger to the game,' he said. 'Me being from St. Louis, I'm not afraid of anything, anybody. I think that's just me channeling that, my inner St. Louis in me.' Asked what he remembers about that key make from deep three years ago, Love said, 'I made the shot,' and smiled. 'I mean, it really has no relevance to this game coming up. I just want to focus on the game plan that we have set. I want my focus to be with this group.' Win or lose on Thursday, Love has already secured an unforgettable place in one of the great rivalries in college sports. And as he said, what he achieved against the Blue Devils across three years with the Tar Heels has no real bearing on what happens in the regional semifinals. But this experience could also be one of the factors that lifts the Wildcats to the upset. 'I think just his game has grown,' Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. 'He's the same player in terms of how he scores and all that. He's just better at everything. I think that's a credit to his growth and the job that him and his teammates, coaching staff, everybody that's helped him.' The names on the backs of the jerseys are different: Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel were in high school when Love last faced off against Duke, and rotational contributors Maliq Brown, Mason Gillis and Sion James had yet to join the program. The only Duke player with any hands-on experience with Love's game is junior guard Tyrese Proctor. Matchups against Love carry an 'intensity,' said Proctor. 'It's always a high-level matchup. It's always a great game, and that's really it.' And while the Blue Devils' roster has been flipped and flipped again since Love left for Arizona, his institutional knowledge of Duke's system is an obvious asset heading into Thursday night. 'They're physical,' Love said. 'They're long. They're athletic and things like that. We've got to play kind of mind games and things like that to create advantages for ourselves on both ends of the floor.'
USA Today
27-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
March Madness games today: Analyzing Thursday's Sweet 16 men's NCAA Tournament matchups
March Madness games today: Analyzing Thursday's Sweet 16 men's NCAA Tournament matchups With the first week of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in the books, we now turn our attention to the Sweet 16 as teams can see the Final Four at the end of the tunnel but still need two more wins. The first half of the remaining teams take the court Thursday, with action in Newark, New Jersey, and San Francisco. Naturally, the Southeastern Conference is well represented with three of its seven round-of-16 entries in action. The evening's lineup also features three of the four surviving Big 12 squads, including two of the conference's recent editions. The lone ACC contender is also on the docket, as well as one of its former league rivals now representing the Big Ten. Here's a look at the four matchups set for Thursday night: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 6 Brigham Young Time/TV: 7:09 p.m. ET, CBS Sporting events don't always go according to script, of course, but the probability of this being among the highest scoring contests of the entire tournament is undeniable. The Crimson Tide average 90.8 points a game but give up 81. The Cougars will be more than happy to match Alabama's fast tempo. The Tide's veteran floor leader Mark Sears has his field-goal percentage back above 40% for the season, but his driving ability to take advantage of the team's spacing helps him find points even when his long-range game is off. Freshman sensation Labaron Philon and key reserve Chris Youngblood have been hot of late as well. The Cougars primary weapon is wingman Richie Saunders, but they can also substitute freely to keep people fresh. There will be a lot of possessions, but the battle to control the boards, led by BYU's Keba Keita and the Tide's Grant Nelson, will still be critical. NCAA FORECAST: How our experts predict the Sweet 16 and beyond SWEET 16 RESEED: Ranking the remaining NCAA teams from best to worst No. 1 Florida vs. No. 4 Maryland Time/TV: 7:39 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV For what it's worth, this pairing guarantees there will be a team with a reptilian mascot in the round of eight. The Gators have won 14 of their last 15, a run that includes the SEC tournament title, though they had to work harder than the other top seeds in the second round to dispatch two-time defending champ Connecticut. The Terrapins handled all challengers not from the state of Michigan down the stretch but will need to be at their best here to keep that streak going. Florida has a number of scoring options in its deep backcourt, but the ball will usually be in the hands of Walter Clayton Jr. when a big bucket is needed. The same is true of Maryland big man Derik Queen, owner of the tournament's first and thus far only buzzer-beater. Fellow Terrapins Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice can get hot from the 3-point arc, but things get dicey for Maryland should any starter encounter foul trouble. The Terps have also struggled on the glass, and the Gators enjoy a rebounding margin of plus-8 per game with Alex Condon and Reuben Chinyelu leading the way. No. 1 Duke vs. No. 4 Arizona Time/TV: 9:39 p.m. ET, CBS The Newark nightcap features the Blue Devils, whose dominance in March thus far has made them a strong title favorite for oddsmakers. Their next challenger is a team they've already beaten once this season, though it was seemingly ages ago in November. The Wildcats played much better once the Big 12 campaign rolled around, and Tobe Awaka has become a much more reliable presence on the boards. But even with known Duke killer Caleb Love leading a strong group of perimeter shooters for Arizona, the Blue Devils will still enjoy a considerable size advantage across the entire lineup. If the Wildcats can't get open 3-point looks, they aren't likely to have any more luck challenging Khaman Maluach at the rim. Incidentally, Cooper Flagg was just getting used to the college game and still put up 24 points at Arizona, and the recent hot shooting of Tyrese Proctor gives the Wildcats even more to worry about. No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Arkansas Time/TV: 10:09 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV The evening finishes in San Francisco with this pairing that in a past life would have been a Southwest Conference clash. More recently, these schools met in the second round of the 2021 tournament with Arkansas winning a 68-66 squeaker, though both programs were under different management at the time. This year's Razorbacks, of course, are helmed by John Calipari, a reason their high seed shouldn't be taken at face value. It took some time for Arkansas to find its footing with guys in and out of the lineup due to injuries, but with nine players averaging between 5.8 and 15.6 points, it's fair to say the big shot could come from anyone. The Red Raiders aren't at full strength themselves with third-leading scorer Chance McMillian yet to appear in the tournament, though his health is improving. JT Toppin is hard to keep out of the lane, and Elijah Hawkins has been terrific running the point.
