Belmont Shocks Murray State In Ohio Valley Conference Championship Game
No. 25 Murray State was looking to win the OVC tournament to cap off their 16-0 conference record in the regular season, but Belmont was having none of it. Fresh off of a 53-52 victory over Eastern Kentucky in the semifinals, the Bruins decided to one-up themselves in the OVC title game. Belmont guard Taylor Barnett hit a three with 3.2 seconds left, putting the Bruins up 88-87. Murray State had one last chance, but T.J. Sapp’s long three-pointer came nowhere near the basket as the final buzzer sounded. As a result, the Bruins are making their second NCAA tournament appearance in the three seasons, and Murray State now stands a good chance of heading to the NIT, even with a 27-5 record.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cfcPoNQkLU
Kentucky Finishes Regular Season Undefeated
Well, they did it. John Calipari’s NBA All-Rookie First Team Wildcats defeated the Florida Gators 67-50, as the team finished the regular season 31-0. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks, and Kentucky shook of a sluggish first half to eventually pull away from the Gators. Calipari actually started three walk-ons in honor of senior day, but they were quickly replaced after one minute of play. After the game, the team donned white t-shirts that read “31-0 Not Done Yet.” If all goes to plan for the Wildcats, they will enter the NCAA tournament at 34-0 after the SEC tournament, and will be six more wins away from doing what no team has done since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. We shall see.
Indiana’s Hanner Mosquera-Perea And The Tip Dunk Of The Year
Indiana junior forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea flew through the lane during Saturday’s game against Michigan State, throwing down off of a miss from Nick Zeisloft. TV commentator Dan Dakich proclaimed that Mosquera-Perea had the, “best dunk I’ve ever seen at Assembly Hall.” Unfortunately for Mosquera-Perea, the Hoosiers lost to the Spartans 74-72, and are now facing grim prospects for the NCAA tournament. But hey, at least he has this:
Oklahoma Beats Kansas On A Last Second Tip-In
No. 15 Oklahoma won a closely-contested matchup over No. 9 Kansas on Saturday when Sooner guard Buddy Hield tipped in a miss from Jordan Woodard as he drove the length of the floor.
Prior to that play, KU’s Frank Mason was fouled while shooting a three while down by three points 5.4 seconds left. He hit all three of his free-throws, and then this happened:
https://vine.co/v/OE1HelaXEdq
Despite the loss, the Jayhawks still finished first in the volatile Big 12 with a 13-5 record. The Sooners finished third with a conference record of 12-6.
Georgetown’s Tyler Adams Starts and Dunks On Senior Day
Tyler Adams came to Georgetown as part of a heralded recruiting class in 2011. But just four games into his college career, a heart issue that had plagued him for most of his life became an increasing threat to his well-being, and he was forced to give up the game that brought him to the school. He has remained on the team as a sort of hybrid coach/manager, and Hoyas head coach John Thompson III gave him the start at center against Seton Hall on Senior Day,after being granted a waiver by the NCAA. Georgetown won the opening tip, and passed to Adams down low, who went in for the dunk, much to the delight of the crowd and both teams. The move was an incredible gesture and great moment for Adams, who has become a vital part of the Hoyas team in his current role.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FgH3xI8KEQ
Jim Boeheim Skips Out On Post-Game Conference After Syracuse’s Final Game Of The Season
Syracuse Orange coach Jim Boeheim has certainly had a rough go of it the last few weeks. First, the school announced some self-imposed sanctions after several infractions were revealed earlier in the season. This past week, the NCAA themselves brought down the hammer on the program — announcing, among several other disciplinary actions, that Boeheim would have to miss nine ACC games next season. Saturday’s loss to N.C. State was the Orange’s last game of the season, as the school had previously banned itself from postseason play when infractions first came to light. So one might assume, it being the last game of the season and all, that Boeheim would show up for the press conference afterwards, right?
He didn’t. But he did send assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who refused to answer any questions about the NCAA investigation.
As for Boeheim? He opted for a written statement instead:
“Yesterday I issued a full statement with my thoughts on and reaction to the NCAA Committee on Infractions report. In that statement I said I would have no further comment on this matter as I consider my options moving forward. That remains the case today.
Win or lose, today should be about this terrific team and how they have made me, our coaches, the University and the community proud during a challenging season on and off the court. I’m as proud of this team as any I have ever coached. I think these players have done everything any and all of us could have asked them to do.
I want to make sure today, as we play our last game and are together for last time as team, that the focus is on our players, and all they have done to make our University proud. This should be the focus this afternoon and nothing else.
That is why I have asked Coach Mike Hopkins to lead today’s post-game media availablity. There will be time in the future for me to more fully comment on the NCAA issues and of course I will take the opportunity to do that at the right time.”
Pretty weak move on Boehiem’s part.
