SPORTS

Houston digs deep to avoid Northern Kentucky’s Round of 16 defeat

Published

1 week ago

March 17, 2023

Seen off the bench by All-American Marcus Sasser, top-seeded Houston beat Northern Kentucky to win 63–52 to open Thursday night’s NCAA Tournament.

Chants “NKU!” and “Overrated!” filled the Legacy Arena as the 16th-seeded Scandinavian trailed only three at halftime and made him 36-all less than 16 minutes before the Cougars match (32-3).

But Houston was 16 points behind Jaras Walker and went on Saturday to face No. 9 seeded Auburn.

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Houston guard Marcus Sasser lifts the ball during the first half of the team’s first-round basketball game against Northern Kentucky at the NCAA Men’s Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama, Thursday, March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Now all eyes are on Sasser, the team’s top scorer and the first member of the Associated Press First Team All-American since 1984.

After falling last weekend with a groin injury in the American Athletic Conference tournament, Sasser was the game-time decision for the NCAA Midwest region starter.

He got the start and looked just fine when he hit an early 3-pointer. But Sasser did nothing else, scoring five points on 2-of-5 shots in less than 14 minutes of playing time.

When the second half began, Sasser was not on the court. The school announced that his groin problem had worsened, forcing him to watch the remainder of the game from the bench.

Houston defenseman Tramon Mark (12) rebounds from Northern Kentucky defenseman Sam Vinson (2) during the second half of the first round of the men’s basketball game at the Men’s NCAA Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday, March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

The cougars didn’t need him that night. The Norwegian’s upset bid suffered a hail of clanging as the Horizon League champions shot just 27.5% from the field (19 of 69), including a horrendous 5 of 34 from three-point range to ruin any chance of becoming the next UMBC. .

TEXAS USES LONG RANGE SHOOTING TO BEAT COLGATE IN MARCH MADNESS

The Retrievers remain the only 16th seed in NCAA history to manage to knock down the No. 1. 1 seed, shocking Virginia in 2018.

The Cougars escaped this fate, but things will get much more difficult next time, especially if Sasser can’t get away.

Northern Kentucky defenseman Marquez Warrick (3) rides into the basket around Houston defenseman Terrence Arceno (23) during the second half of the first round of the college basketball game at the NCAA Men’s Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday, March 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Auburn knocked down no. 8-seeded Iowa is 83-75 and will have another home game in the second round, playing just two hours from their campus.

The Cougars struggled on offense with the Northern Kentucky match zone in a way that was unlike any defense they had seen this season. Houston led only 30-27 at halftime and finished far short of his 75-point average early in the game.

Sam Vinson scored 15 points to lead Northern Kentucky (22-13).

BIG PICTURE

Northern Kentucky: The Norwegians have yet to win three games in the NCAA Tournament, losing 14th, 15th, and now 16th.

Houston: The Cougars hardly looked like contenders for the national title, and Sasser’s health makes the title run even weaker.

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The Cougars will play Auburn for the first time since December. On October 8, 1982, when the Houston Power Team “Phi Slama Jama” featuring Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler scored a 77-65 win against the Tigers under Charles Barkley. Overall, the teams have met just seven times, of which the Cougars have won six. Auburn’s only win in the series came in 1962.

Related Topics:avoid deep defeat digs Houston Kentuckys northern

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The most extreme breakdowns of the March Madness are happening more and more frequently. Why? | NCAA Tournament 2023

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2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament: Top two players in each region including Caitlin Clark of Iowa.

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SPORTS

Famous Coaches Want Separate TV Deal For NCAA Women’s Tournament

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2023

Lynn Straub

GREENVILLE, South Carolina — As the NCAA nears a decision on what to do with its next media rights contract for its sports championships, South Carolina coach Don Staley and UCLA coach Cory Close are enthusiastically backing the women’s a basketball tournament with a separate television contract. .

The NCAA currently has a television contract with ESPN for the Division I championships, excluding men’s basketball and soccer. This deal is calculated until 2023-2024.

In an NCAA report commissioned in 2021 to examine the gender disparity between men’s and women’s tournaments, independent media pundit Ed Desser estimated that annual broadcast rights for women’s basketball would cost between $81 million and $112 million in 2025.

The report indicates that this figure is several times higher than the current deal, which pays $34 million annually for the championship package.

The NCAA is expected to make a decision by the fall so that negotiations can begin.

“It’s got to happen,” Staley said on Friday, the day before her Gamecocks play UCLA at Sweet 16, a huge income-generating sport that could, to a degree, do what men’s basketball has done for all other sports, all other Olympic sports and women’s basketball.

“I do believe that we were probably in the same place many years ago, but until we can get the decision makers to give us that opportunity … It is slowly approaching this, because that there is proof in numbers.

South Carolina’s 64-49 win over UConn in last year’s national championship game attracted 4.85 million viewers, making it the most watched college basketball game on ESPN (male or female) since 2008. The Final Four weekend was the most popular.

Earlier this year, 1.5 million viewers tuned into ESPN to watch South Carolina beat LSU, the most watched regular season women’s basketball game since 2010.

This year, the national title game will be broadcast on ABC for the first time since 1995.

In addition to wanting this tournament to be discussed as a separate package of rights, Close advocates a unit allocation model similar to what men receive for playing in the NCAA tournament. Close, who is also the president of the WBCA, said other coaches she spoke to also support the model.

“I think it should go hand in hand,” Close said. “That was one of the main parts of the Kaplan report a few years ago. As the NCAA works on a new media rights deal that will hopefully be a separate deal with women’s basketball in this space, I think there should be a meaningful division. distribution associated with it.

“I don’t think any of us are asking for it to be the same as men. Obviously they are ahead of us in this deal. But I think this is the next right step.”

SPORTS

No. 4 Villanova v. No. 9 Miami Live Updates TV Results

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2023

Lynn Straub

Villanova’s Maddie Siegrist is the nation’s leading scorer as the Wildcats face Miami in the Sweet 16. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) #

The NCAA Sweet 16 Friday Women’s Tournament begins at two regional venues: Greenville, South Carolina; and Seattle with four games. The first game between No. Villanova with 4 seeds and No. 9 Miami starts at 2:30 pm ET on ESPN in the Greenville 2 region. Villanova’s Maddy Sigrist is the nation’s leading scorer with 29.2 points per game. She is also the universal leader of the Wildcats. Miami advanced to the Sweet 16, eliminating top seed Indiana.

How to watch

WHO: No. 4th seed Villanova vs. No. 1 9th in Miami (FL)

When: 2:30 pm ET, Friday

TV: ESPN

Region: Greenville 2

Follow Villanova-Miami to Sweet 16

More about the NCAA Tournament

SPORTS

March Madness: schedule, games, TV information about the NCAA men’s tournament

Published

6 days ago

March 20, 2023

Lynn Straub

The 2023 NCAA Men’s Tournament kicks off March 14 in Dayton, Ohio and continues through the Final Four and the national championship game in Houston.

You can check out the complete bracket here.

Here is the full March Madness schedule below:

Sunday, March 19 (Round of 16 All Times ET)

No. 3 Xavier 84, No. 11 Pitt 73
No. 3 Kansas State 75, No. 6 Kentucky 69
No. 7 Michigan State 69, No. 2 markets 60
No. 4 Ukonn 70, No. 5 St Mary 55
No. 6 Creighton 85, No. 3 Baylor 76
No. 9 Florida Atlantic 78, No. 16 FDU 70
No. 5 Miami (FL) 83, No. 4 Indiana 69
No. 3 Gonzaga 84, No. 6 TCU 81

Saturday, March 18 (Round of 16 All Times ET)

No. 5 San Diego State 75, No. 13 Furman 52
No. 4 Tennessee 65, No. 5 duke 52
No. 8 Arkansas 72, No. 1 Kansas 71
No. 15 Princeton 78, No. 7 Missouri 63
No. 1 Houston 81, No. 9 Auburn 64
No. 2 Texas 69, No. 10 Penn State 66
No. 2 UKLA 68, No. 7 Northwestern 63
No. 1 Alabama 73, No. 8 Maryland 51

Friday, March 17 (Round 64 All Times ET)

No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10USC62
No. 3 Xavier 72, No. 14 Kennesaw State 67
No. 3 Baylor 74, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara 56
No. 5 St Mary 63, No. 12 VCU 51
No. 2 Marquette 78, No. 15 Vermont 61
No. 11 Pitt 59, No. 6 Iowa 41
No. 6 Creighton 72, No. 11NC State 63
No. 4 Ukonn 87, No. 13 Jonah 63
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58
No. 6 Kentucky 61, No. 11 Providence 53
No. 5 Miami (FL) 63, No. 12 Drake 56
No. 3 Gonzaga 82, No. 14 Grand Canyon 70
No. 9Florida Atlantic 66, No. 8 Memphis 65
No. 3 Kansas State 77, No. 14 Montana 65
No. 4 Indiana 71, No. 13 Kent State 60
No. 6 TCU 72, No. 11 Arizona Street 70

Results of the first round of Thursday

No. 8 Maryland 67, West Virginia 65
No. 13 Furman 68, No. 4 Virginia 67
No. 7 Missouri 76, No. 10Utah State 65
No. 1 Kansas 96, No. 16. Howard 68
No. 1 Alabama 96, No. 16Texas A&M CC75
No. 5 San Diego State 63, No. 12 College of Charleston 57
No. 15 Princeton 59, No. 2 Arizona 55
No. 8 Arkansas 73, No. 9 Illinois 63
No. 9 Auburn 83, No. 8Iowa 75
No. 5 duke 74, No. 12 Oral Roberts 51
No. 2 Texas 81, No. 15 Colgate 61
No. 7 Northwest 75, No. 10 Boise State 67
No. 1 Houston 63, No. 16 Northern Kentucky 52
No. 4 Tennessee 58, No. 13 Louisiana 55
No. 10 Penn State 76, No. 7Texas A&M 59
No. 2 UCLA 86, No. 15 UNC Asheville 53

Thursday, March 23 (Sweet 16. All East Times)

TBD vs. TBD | 18:15 | TBS
To be confirmed against To be confirmed |19:00| CBS
TBD vs TBD |20:45| TBS
TBD vs TBD |9:30pm| CBS

Friday, March 24 (Sweet 16. All times ET)

TBD vs TBD |18:15| TBS
To be confirmed against To be confirmed |19:00| CBS
TBD vs TBD |20:45| TBS
TBD vs TBD |9:30pm| CBS

Saturday, March 25 (Elite 8. All times ET)

TBD vs. TBD | 18:00 | TBS
TBD vs TBD |20:30| TBS

Sunday, March 26 (Elite 8. All times ET)

TBD vs TBD |14:00| CBS
TBD vs TBD |16:55| CBS

Saturday, April 1 (Final Four. All times ET)

TBD vs. TBD | 18:00 | CBS
TBD vs TBD |20:30| CBS

Monday, April 3 (national championship game).

TBD vs. TBD |9pm ET| CBS

Last year, no. 1 Kansas seed beats no. North Carolina with the 8th number in the national championship game. Also, don’t forget the great Cinderella story at St. Peter’s. The school gained many new fans as the 15-seed Peacocks made it all the way to the Elite Eight round, losing to the Tar Heels and ending their historic March Madness run.

This year the tournament will take place in 15 different locations.

2023 Men’s NCAA Tournament Schedule

2023 DATES	ROUND	CITY, STATE	LOCATION
2023 DATES	ROUND	CITY, STATE	LOCATION
March 14-15	first four	Dayton, Ohio	UD Arena
March 16 and 18	First/second round	Birmingham, Alabama	heritage arena
March 16 and 18	First/second round	Des Moines, Iowa	Wells Fargo Arena
March 16 and 18	First/second round	Orlando, Florida	Amway Center
March 16 and 18	First/second round	Sacramento, California	Golden 1 center
March 17 and 19	First/second round	Albany, New York	MVP Arena
March 17 and 19	First/second round	Columbus, Ohio	National Arena
March 17 and 19	First/second round	Denver, Colorado	ballroom
March 17 and 19	First/second round	Greensboro, North Carolina	Greensboro Coliseum
March 23 and 25	Western Regional	Las Vegas, Nevada	T Mobile Arena
March 23 and 25	Eastern Regional	New York, New York	Madison Square Garden
March 24 and 26	Midwest Regional	Kansas City, Missouri	T Mobile Center
March 24 and 26	Southern Regional	Louisville, Kentucky	KFC Yum! center
April 1 and 3	Final Four	Houston, Texas	NRG Stadium

A total of 68 teams will enter the tournament field. Of those 64, 32 automatically qualify as winners of the conference tournaments. SB Nation has made predictions for each league.

Current NCAA tournament bracket predictions can be found at SB Nation’s best source for Bracketology. Blogging. You can bet on the NCAA Tournament at Bookmaker Draft Kings.