Latest news with #TommyLloyd
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gonzaga returns to the AP rankings at No. 24
Gonzaga returns to the AP rankings at No. 24 Mar. 17—Gonzaga's run to the West Coast Conference Tournament championship, including a title-game win over Saint Mary's, vaulted the Zags back into the AP Top 25 for the first time since mid-January. The Zags (25-8) moved in at No. 24 with 151 points, eight points behind No. 23 Missouri and 36 ahead of No. 25 Oregon. GU handled San Francisco 85-76 and the Gaels 58-51 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Advertisement Gonzaga has won four straight games, including three Quad 1 victories and one Quad 2. The eighth-seeded Zags open the NCAA Tournament against Georgia on Thursday in Wichita. GU was ranked No. 16 before losing to Oregon State 97-89 in overtime in Corvallis on Jan. 16 and falling to visiting Santa Clara 103-99 at the McCarthey Athletic Center two days later. The Zags have lost twice since, both to Saint Mary's before knocking off the Gaels last Tuesday. Saint Mary's, a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament, dropped one spot to No. 20. Duke remained at No. 1 with 49 of 59 first-place votes from the media panel. The Blue Devils are followed by fellow No. 1 seeds Houston, Florida and Auburn. Gonzaga and Houston will square off if both win first-round games Thursday. Advertisement St. John's is No. 5, its highest ranking since Jan. 1991, followed by fellow two seeds Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan State. Texas Tech and Louisville round out the top 10. Seven SEC teams are in the top 25. Arizona, led by former Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, is No. 21. Gonzaga is No. 23 in the USA Today coaches' poll. The Zags enter the NCAA Tournament No. 8 in the NET rankings.
Fox Sports
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Former Pac-12 foes Oregon and Arizona set for first March Madness meeting
Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — In the very recent past, the NCAA Tournament selection committee would seek to avoid having Oregon face Arizona in the second round of March Madness. But now that they're no longer conference rivals, the former Pac-12 schools were placed in the same section of the East Region bracket. The winner of Sunday's matchup moves on to the Sweet 16 in Newark, New Jersey, to face either top-seeded Duke or No. 9 seed Baylor. 'Obviously we have a lot of respect for Oregon, we've battled with them in the past three years and I know those battles go way before me as well,' Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. 'It is a little weird playing them in the second round of the tournament, because it's a team you're used to being a conference rival and usually you wouldn't see that until later on.' The Ducks (25-9) have never played the Wildcats (23-12) in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona's final Pac-12 game came against Oregon in last year's conference tournament semifinals, a 67-59 win for the Ducks. The Pac-12's collapse was sealed in the summer of of 2023, when Oregon and Washington bolted for the Big Ten, joining Southern California and UCLA, and Arizona went to the Big 12 with Colorado, Arizona State and Utah. Oregon did just fine in its first Big Ten season, earning a No. 5 seed and beating Liberty 81-52 in its tournament opener on Friday night. The Ducks have advanced to the second round in each of their nine March Madness appearances in 15 years under coach Dana Altman. Last season, Oregon lost to Creighton in double overtime after beating South Carolina. Arizona beat Akron 93-65 in the first round. The Wildcats lead their series with Oregon 55-38. Last season, Arizona was a No. 2 seed and lost to Clemson in the Sweet 16. Switching sides Jeremy Roach spent an eventful four years at Duke. He began his career by playing in an empty Cameron Indoor Stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski retired at the midpoint of Roach's stay in Durham. Now he's at Baylor, playing on a fifth and final year of eligibility granted because of the pandemic. And next up is a date with his former program in Raleigh, North Carolina, about a half-hour's drive from his former Durham campus home. 'It's going to be cool,' Roach said Saturday. 'Definitely excited for the matchup, not trying to overlook it or make anything bigger than what it is. It's another basketball game. … So not trying to put too much into it.' The 6-foot-2 Roach is averaging 10.1 points for the ninth-seeded Bears (20-14). While he has started 18 games, he's also had two stints in the concussion protocol and he's now coming off the bench. 'He showed me the ropes of what it was to play at Duke, what it was to wear a Duke uniform,' Duke junior guard Tyrese Proctor said. 'He just encouraged me all the time, gave me confidence and it was great playing with him for the last two years.' The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-3) went to the Final Four in Roach's second season as Krzyzewski made his farewell push before handing the job to Jon Scheyer. Roach left Durham as part of the Blue Devils' offseason overhaul that made way for the nation's No. 1 recruiting class — led by unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American Cooper Flagg — and a trio of transfer additions tailored to fill gaps in the lineup. 'It was handled with love, honesty and we just felt mutually both ways that it was the best thing for him in his career, and obviously just where we had to go because of that,' Scheyer said of Roach's transfer. 'I have nothing but love for Jeremy, and our relationship is strong. He'll be a Duke guy forever.' Clash of styles Alabama likes to go fast. Saint Mary's does not. Whichever team can dictate the pace on Sunday is likely heading to the Sweet 16. The second-seeded Crimson Tide (26-8) lead the country in scoring and beat Robert Morris 90-81 in the first round. The seventh-seeded Gaels (29-5) slowed Vanderbilt to a crawl to win 59-56 and reach the round of 32 for the third time in four years. Alabama will likely have forward Grant Nelson available from the opening tip. Nelson is dealing with a knee injury and sat out the first 31 minutes against Robert Morris before coach Nate Oats inserted him into the game with the Colonials threatening to pull a stunner. Nelson and All-America guard Mark Sears helped settle things down. Saint Mary's is seeking its third appearance in the Sweet 16. The Gaels have become tournament fixtures but understand it's time for them to reach the second weekend. 'We didn't come here to just win one game. We've done that before,' senior forward Luke Barrett said. 'We're trying to leave a legacy on this program, and we're trying to do something special this year, and that's what we set out from the very start of the year. The start of that means winning this game.' ___ AP Sports Writers Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Will Graves in Cleveland contributed to this report. ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. recommended
Associated Press
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Former Pac-12 foes Oregon and Arizona set for first March Madness meeting
SEATTLE (AP) — In the very recent past, the NCAA Tournament selection committee would seek to avoid having Oregon face Arizona in the second round of March Madness. But now that they're no longer conference rivals, the former Pac-12 schools were placed in the same section of the East Region bracket. The winner of Sunday's matchup moves on to the Sweet 16 in Newark, New Jersey, to face either top-seeded Duke or No. 9 seed Baylor. 'Obviously we have a lot of respect for Oregon, we've battled with them in the past three years and I know those battles go way before me as well,' Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. 'It is a little weird playing them in the second round of the tournament, because it's a team you're used to being a conference rival and usually you wouldn't see that until later on.' The Ducks (25-9) have never played the Wildcats (23-12) in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona's final Pac-12 game came against Oregon in last year's conference tournament semifinals, a 67-59 win for the Ducks. The Pac-12's collapse was sealed in the summer of of 2023, when Oregon and Washington bolted for the Big Ten, joining Southern California and UCLA, and Arizona went to the Big 12 with Colorado, Arizona State and Utah. Oregon did just fine in its first Big Ten season, earning a No. 5 seed and beating Liberty 81-52 in its tournament opener on Friday night. The Ducks have advanced to the second round in each of their nine March Madness appearances in 15 years under coach Dana Altman. Last season, Oregon lost to Creighton in double overtime after beating South Carolina. Arizona beat Akron 93-65 in the first round. The Wildcats lead their series with Oregon 55-38. Last season, Arizona was a No. 2 seed and lost to Clemson in the Sweet 16. Switching sides Jeremy Roach spent an eventful four years at Duke. He began his career by playing in an empty Cameron Indoor Stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski retired at the midpoint of Roach's stay in Durham. Now he's at Baylor, playing on a fifth and final year of eligibility granted because of the pandemic. And next up is a date with his former program in Raleigh, North Carolina, about a half-hour's drive from his former Durham campus home. 'It's going to be cool,' Roach said Saturday. 'Definitely excited for the matchup, not trying to overlook it or make anything bigger than what it is. It's another basketball game. … So not trying to put too much into it.' The 6-foot-2 Roach is averaging 10.1 points for the ninth-seeded Bears (20-14). While he has started 18 games, he's also had two stints in the concussion protocol and he's now coming off the bench. 'He showed me the ropes of what it was to play at Duke, what it was to wear a Duke uniform,' Duke junior guard Tyrese Proctor said. 'He just encouraged me all the time, gave me confidence and it was great playing with him for the last two years.' The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-3) went to the Final Four in Roach's second season as Krzyzewski made his farewell push before handing the job to Jon Scheyer. Roach left Durham as part of the Blue Devils' offseason overhaul that made way for the nation's No. 1 recruiting class — led by unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American Cooper Flagg — and a trio of transfer additions tailored to fill gaps in the lineup. 'It was handled with love, honesty and we just felt mutually both ways that it was the best thing for him in his career, and obviously just where we had to go because of that,' Scheyer said of Roach's transfer. 'I have nothing but love for Jeremy, and our relationship is strong. He'll be a Duke guy forever.' Clash of styles Alabama likes to go fast. Saint Mary's does not. Whichever team can dictate the pace on Sunday is likely heading to the Sweet 16. The second-seeded Crimson Tide (26-8) lead the country in scoring and beat Robert Morris 90-81 in the first round. The seventh-seeded Gaels (29-5) slowed Vanderbilt to a crawl to win 59-56 and reach the round of 32 for the third time in four years. Alabama will likely have forward Grant Nelson available from the opening tip. Nelson is dealing with a knee injury and sat out the first 31 minutes against Robert Morris before coach Nate Oats inserted him into the game with the Colonials threatening to pull a stunner. Nelson and All-America guard Mark Sears helped settle things down. Saint Mary's is seeking its third appearance in the Sweet 16. The Gaels have become tournament fixtures but understand it's time for them to reach the second weekend. 'We didn't come here to just win one game. We've done that before,' senior forward Luke Barrett said. 'We're trying to leave a legacy on this program, and we're trying to do something special this year, and that's what we set out from the very start of the year. The start of that means winning this game.' ___
USA Today
22-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oregon basketball vs. Arizona: Who has the edge in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Second Round
Oregon basketball vs. Arizona: Who has the edge in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Second Round After dismantling the Liberty Flames, 81-52, in the first round on Friday night, the Oregon Ducks are advancing to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Their matchup is the Arizona Wildcats — a 4-seed and a former Pac-12 foe — in a 6:40 p.m. PT game on Sunday night. Like Oregon, Arizona destroyed their first-round opponent, the Akron Zips, defeating the 13-seed 93-65. Oregon and Arizona have been on similar paths all year. The Ducks finished the Big Ten Tournament with a 24-9 season record, and after their conference tournament, the Wildcats were 22-12 on the year. This season, most of Arizona's opponents were in Quadrant 1, and the Wildcats went 10-11 in those games. The Ducks played fewer Quad 1 games than Arizona but went 8-7 in them. The Wildcats are led by Tommy Lloyd, one of the better young coaches in college basketball. This is Lloyd's fourth year at Arizona, and while he's taken his team to the tournament all four years, he's 5-3 once he gets there. Only two of those wins have come after the first round, and in 2023, Arizona lost as a 2-seed to 15-seeded Princeton in the first round. The last time the Ducks and Wildcats met was in the semifinal of last year's Pac-12 Championship. Arizona was a Top-10 team in the country and a shoo-in for March Madness while Oregon's only road to the NCAA Tournament was as an automatic qualifier. The Wildcats had destroyed the Ducks twice already that season, but in the conference tournament, Oregon came out on top and booked their ticket to the tournament the next day with a win over Colorado. Last time, this matchup was lopsided, but this time around, this pair of teams is of even caliber. Sunday's game will be the 61st meeting between these two teams, and that history should make for a great game. Below are our predictions for how things will shake out. Players To Know Oregon PG Jackson Shelstad: 13.4 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.7 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 37.5 3P% C Nate Bittle: 14.1 Pts, 7.5 Reb, 1.9 Ast, 2.2 Blk, 51.0 FG% G TJ Bamba: 10.3 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 3.0 Ast, 1.8 Stl, 38.5 FG% Arizona PG Caleb Love: 16.4 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 3.5 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 38.7 FG% G Jaden Bradley: 12.0 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 3.7 Ast, 18.8 Stl, 46.5 FG% F Henry Veesar: 9.4 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 1.3 Ast, 1.1 Blk, 60.4 FG% Keys to the Game Oregon Control the tempo, especially on defense. Arizona likes to play with pace which helps them score a lot of points. Force Caleb Love to take bad shots. Force Arizona to take threes. As a team, they shoot over 20 per game but make less than a third. Arizona Get Caleb Love hot early. Force Bittle into switches on pick-and-rolls to open up the paint. The Wildcats are one of the most efficient interior offenses in the country. Protect the defensive glass. Arizona has been bad at preventing offensive rebounds and second-chance points all year. Betting Odds Moneyline: Oregon: +146 | Arizona: -176 Spread: Arizona: -3.5 points Over/Under: 152.5 points My Picks
Axios
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Axios
March Madness is back in Cleveland
Northeast Ohio will be a hub for March Madness over the next few days. State of play: Eight teams, and thousands of their loyal fans, will be in town for NCAA Men's Tournament games Friday and Sunday at Rocket Arena. Meanwhile, the No. 13 Akron Zips — our region's lone team in the tourney — take on the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats Friday in Seattle. Catch up quick: For the uninitiated, the annual tournament starts with 68 teams divided into four regions and competing to win a national championship. The action began Tuesday and Wednesday with four play-in games and continued with first-round action Thursday. Friday's games: East Region No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris at 12:40pm and No. 7 Saint Mary's vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt at 3:15pm. From the South Region, No. 7 Marquette faces No. 10 New Mexico at 7:25pm, while No. 2 Michigan State takes on No. 15 Bryant at 10pm. The winners of those regions' games will face each other Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16. If you go: Tickets for games at Rocket Arena are available. Prices for Friday''s afternoon and evening sessions start at $20; prices for Sunday's games start at $126. Zoom in and out: The Zips (28-6), who won the MAC Tournament but are 0-6 all-time in March Madness history, face a tough Arizona team 2,000 miles away on the West Coast. That game airs at 7:35pm on truTV. What they're saying: After Sunday's selection show, Akron coach John Groce praised Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats, who won 22 games this season.
