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Baylor Tops Kansas Led By Dennis

by netscoutstestg
written by netscoutstestg

Waco, TX–   No. 7-ranked Kansas against No. 15-ranked Baylor at the new Mark and Paul Hurd arena which just opened up in January. There was a packed crowd, with fans excited for a possible upset against a top ten team. On one of the first possessions for Baylor, Yves Missi went to set a screen for RayJ Dennis and once he rolled, he became wide open for a dunk which got Baylor the opening basket. The first half of the basketball game went back-and-forth with Baylor getting as much as a seven-point lead before it eventually got cut to one going into the half at 35–34. Throughout the first half, Missi did a great job of attacking Kansas’s big men by constantly trying to pound it inside and draw fouls or finish at the rim. In the second half at one point Baylor looked like they would run away with the game by going up by as many as 13 points before Kansas eventually cut into the lead but they eventually would lose 82–74.

7’2” senior Hunter Dickinson was a constant for the Jayhawks throughout the game. Whether the Baylor Bears played the 1-3-1 zone or briefly went man-to man he was a safety net. He ended the game with a stat line of 20 points and six rebounds on 9–12 from the field, 1-2 from the arc, and made it a tough night for the Baylor bigs.  6’7” senior Kevin McCullar Jr. was another spark for the Jayhawks and when Baylor played the 1–3–1 zone he took advantage by posting up the player at the bottom of the zone to get easy baskets at the rim. He ended the game with 20 points, and five rebounds on 9–19 from the field. The one-two punch of Dickinson and McCullar is what allowed the Jayhawks to make the game competitive along with point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. adding 12 points and hitting timely floaters when the team needed the most.

Baylor had four players score in double digits which gave them the edge and led to them winning the game. Missi was consistent energy for the Bears and showed his ability to do some things off the dribble when given the opportunity from the elbow. Missi ended the game with a  17 points and five rebounds on 7–12 shooting. In the second half of the game, Baylor took advantage of the one-two punch with 6’2” RayJ Dennis and 6’4” Jayden Nunn who both were perfect from the field in the second half of the game.

Nunn was a constant throughout both halves of the game knocking down timely three-point shots and being able to get to the mid-range and pull up over defenders. He ended the game with 18 points and five rebounds on 7–8 from the field and 3–3 from the three-point line. The difference he made throughout the game was going after 50/50 rebounds and being able to either secure them himself or save them from out-of-bounds for a teammate to secure.  Dennis is a perfect complement to Dunn with his ability to lead the team and fill in the gap with what they need at each moment. He did a great job of making the right decision off of the screen and seemed as if he always hit the right teammate in the right spot. Throughout the game, Kansas would try to go on some type of run and Dennis would hit them with one of those Patton floaters in the lane to send a message to Kansas that we got this. He ended the game with a double-double and led the team in scoring with 19 points and 10 assists, 7–8 shooting from the field, on 4–5 from the free throw line.

Ja’Kobe Walter struggled to find his shot but always seemed to lend a helping hand and knocked down a shot in spots when they tried to pay more attention defensively to one of his other three teammates. Although his shot wasn’t falling consistently, he made up for it by grabbing eight rebounds and showing that he can impact the game in more ways than just putting the ball in the basket. Walter ended the game with 11 points to help Baylor get the win. The biggest difference in the basketball game was the spread in fastbreak points with Baylor winning that area 15-7.

This article was written by Chivas Miller, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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Evans Jr. Leads Ducks to Vital Win Over Oregon State

by netscoutstestg
written by netscoutstestg

Eugene, OR – In the 394th and final official matchup in conference play, long-time Pac-12 schools Oregon and Oregon State took the floor at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon took control of the game in the second half, coming away with a 78-71 victory and the 750th career win for Coach Dana Altman. Five Ducks scored in doubles figures with Kwame Evans Jr. scoring a team high 22 points Wednesday night with 8,365 in attendance.

Oregon State’s Jordan Pope came off an electric performance at Stanford last weekend  scoring 30 points, on 10-for-17 from the field.  He continued his stellar shooting in the first half against the Ducks, hitting on out 7-of-8 attempts to score 15 first half points. The Beavers developed an early 24-18 lead midway through the opening half as they took advantage of six Oregon turnovers during that stretch.

The Ducks responded with a 12-2 run led by Brennan Rigbsy, who contributed 6 of the 12 points during the run. The 6-3 shooting guard was a starter early in the season and was asked to play a different role as of late coming off the bench. He played key minutes throughout the game, displaying his shooting stroke from the perimeter while also showing he can play above the rim with two monstrous dunks. In 27 minutes, he shot 4-for-6 shooting and nailed two 3-pointers to tally 14 points with a plus 11 on the floor. Oregon went into the half leading 35-33.

The second half began with Oregon State’s Tyler Bilodeau, a 6’9” sophomore, keeping the Beavers within reach with his ability to knock down outside shots as a stretch 4. He was very much in the zone, scoring 20 of his game high 26 points in the second half. Bilodeau was highly efficient shooting 10-of-14 on field goals, hitting 2-of-3 on 3s, and added eight rebounds. His teammate Pope was slowed down for much of the second half but still finished with 22 points (10-of-19 FG) and five assists.

The freshman duo of Jackson Shelstad and Evans Jr., who were both highly touted prospects coming out of high school, had strong performances. Shelstad, a local prospect, used his fast-paced play to put pressure on the Beavers defense, while creating opportunities for his teammates off the bounce. The point guard had 11 points (4-of-9 FG), four rebounds, and three assists. Evans Jr. impacted the game for the Ducks at both ends of the floor. The 6’9”, 220 pound future NBA prospect, used his length, skill and high basketball IQ to lead the way with 22 points (6-for-7 FG), going 9-for-12 from the strike, with six rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.

In the final eight minutes after Oregon State cut the lead 59-57, Jermaine Couisnard, who struggled in the first half shooting the ball due to settling for 3s, began to attack the hoop. He scored on three buckets around the basket and drew fouls, getting him to the free line. He hit on 7-of-8 attempts, scoring 16 points (4-for-13 FG) and dished out six assists for the Ducks. Evans Jr. sealed the win for Oregon with and-1 floater in the paint to give Oregon a 11-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. A key factor in the win for Oregon was getting to the free throw line going 23-for-32, while the Beavers made all eight of their attempts.

Oregon (19-9, 11-6) is ranked 62nd in the latest net rankings putting them just off the bubble of a tourney bid. They have a huge opportunity for a marquee win, when they travel to face Arizona (22-6, 13-4) on March 2nd. Oregon State (12-17, 4-14) will look for a bounce back win against Utah (16-11, 7-9) as they return home to finish out the regular season against the mountain schools.

This article was written by Chad Mart, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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St. John’s Gets Big Win Over Creighton

by netscoutstestg
written by netscoutstestg

New York, NY – St. John’s (16-12) had one of their best collective performances this season on Sunday to snap #15 ranked Creighton’s (20-8) four game win streak, with an 80-66 victory at Madison Square Garden. The Johnnies staved off every comeback push the Blue Jays attempted with relentless defense and steady scoring from the senior starting backcourt of Jordan Dingle and Daniss Jenkins combining for 45 points. Trey Alexander scored a season-high 31 points in the loss for the Blue Jays.

Creighton made a 10-0 run to take the lead back in the first half 25-24 when St. John’s went to their reserves. Alexander kickstarted things with back-to-back threes. Trey found a lot of success on offense over the course of this matchup. He was dominant navigating pick and rolls, routinely putting defenders on his back as he snaked center Ryan Kalkbrenner’s screens, leading to multiple mid-range pull up jumpshots. Kalkbrenner would do his best “Gortat” screen to give Trey as much breathing room, and simultaneously position himself for second chance points. Kalkbrenner was their defensive centerpiece, tallying a career-high eight blocks. His massive length gave St. John’s fits and they paid the price not respecting it. He didn’t get much resistance in the post either, getting deep in the paint right into an efficient soft hook. Creighton should’ve sought more ways to feed it to him, as he only finished with 12 points on 11 shots.

Creighton struggled to create open looks from the perimeter, leading to a highly inefficient 6-of-26 from deep. Baylor Scheierman hit the first three of the game before going ice cold. He’d go 1-of-10 outside the arc and 4-of-16 from the field. Steven Ashworth, who was hot over the course of their winning streak, went 1-of-6 from deep this contest. The Blue Jays came into this game sixth in 3-pointers made per game in Division 1 at 10.7. Alexander provided most of their 3-point scoring, knocking down four of their six makes. All things considered, they were still only down a mere five points at the under-8 media timeout thanks to Alexander’s herculean effort. But one last run from St. John’s sealed the deal.

Floor general Daniss Jenkins had arguably his best game of the year, impacting all facets of the game with 27 points, six assists, two steals and two blocks. He’s been St. John’s engine all season long and played with such confidence throughout the game. His feel was incredible, and when the game was still in the balance he sealed the deal with his own 11-0 run. Backcourt mate Jordan Dingle provided his own scoring spark down the stretch with 12 second half points through mid-range jumpers. Similar to Alexander, both guards found success exploiting the space inside the arc when Kalkbrenner was in drop coverage. Despite his eight blocks, the Red Storm still found success inside for 34 paint points. Defensively they were in sync in all their strategies. They showed bodies when Creighton looked to feed Kalkbrenner down low, and rotated extremely well to not give up any open 3-point looks. The unsung hero in this win was Glenn Taylor Jr., getting his first start after seeing his role diminish. He accumulated 10 rebounds, six assists, one block and a steal on the day in his return to the starting lineup.

St. John’s kept their national tournament hopes alive with a dominant game against a ranked opponent. To come out on top in a must-win situation should give them the confidence they need to sweep the rest of their conference games. They look to extend their win-streak to three on the road against Butler on Wednesday, February 28th.

Creighton was fresh off a massive upset themselves, taking down the #1 ranked team in the nation UConn. They may have eased up a bit following that tense match-up earlier in the week, but this loss proved there’s still room to improve before the Big East tournament back at Madison Square Garden. Creighton’s next outing will be against a tough Seton Hall crew at home on the 28th as well.

This article was written by Justin Maldonado, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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big east hoops, college basketball, creighton bluejays, st. john’s red storm

Texas Crumbles to UCF in the Second Half

by netscoutstestg
written by netscoutstestg

Austin, TX – The University of Texas took on Big 12 newcomers, the UCF Knights, Wednesday night at home. Texas looked as though they were on their way to a solid win with as much as a 15-point lead in the first frame. By halftime, the Longhorns were leading 44-32 thanks to the shooting of both Max Abmas (15 points) and Ithiel Horton (20 points).

The second half opened with two big alley-oop dunks from Dillon Mitchell which seemed to be the nail in the coffin for UCF. Instead, the Knights chipped away at the lead thanks to big time shots from Jaylin Sellers (24 points) and Shemarri Allen (17 points) to help UCF take the lead at with 7:21 remaining. The teams traded leads until the four-minute mark when Abmas hit a 3 to make it 68-67. Unfortunately, UCF took full control and didn’t let the Longhorns score until the game was out of hand and got a 77-71 comeback win.

UCF had five players in double-figures and were led by Sellers, off the bench with his 24 points and five rebounds. Sellers’ shooting provided a major spark. His three-point shooting as well as his mid-range game were crucial to keep the Longhorns from extending their lead. Sellers also hit all eight of his free throw attempts with four in the final minute to keep the lead. Sellers is a creative scorer and shooter, but has been inefficient as of late. The move to the bench allowed him to focus his energy on scoring instead of playmaking and it provided a huge boost to the Knights offense. For the Knights and Sellers sake, hopefully it is a permanent move.

Shemarri Allen had a complete game with 17 points (season high), seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Especially in the second half, Shemarri seemed to have complete control of this game. Whether that was to hit a clutch shot, or make the right passing read, Allen seemed to always make the right decision. Allen also held his own with taking on the defensive assignment of guarding Abmas. With Sellers coming off the bench it put the ball more in Allen’s hands which led to a lot of good decisions. Hopefully this is a trend that continues.

While not contributing much on the offensive end. Ibrahima Diallo tonight protected the rim like his life depended on it. Diallo ended the night with three blocks (two in the second half) and deterred many shots to make the Longhorns’ lives difficult in the paint. Diallo had a clutch block in the final minute that solidified the win for the Knights. UCF will continue to be dominant in the paint as long as Diallo is there.

For the Longhorns, Horton was the leading scorer tonight with 20 points. This was a kind of homecoming game for him because he transferred from UCF this past season. Ithiel had his best game shooting 8-of-14 from the field and hit 40% of his three pointers. However, it was not enough to beat his former team. The move to the starting lineup does seem to open up the floor for others to operate in the paint. Abmas wasn’t as efficient as he usually is. He finished with 15 points but shot only 5-of-13 (38% FG) and 4-of-11 (36% 3FG). 36% on three isn’t terrible, but both Horton and Abmas couldn’t hit shots when it mattered most in the final four minutes.

Mitchell continues to provide efficient play within the Longhorn offense. Mitchell finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Mitchell shot 6-of-9 from the field, mostly due to off ball cuts and drives to the rim. Mitchell is still struggling on his shot but did hit an impressive turnaround midrange in the second half that is encouraging. Though the Longhorns lost, Mitchell continues to provide great minutes.

Overall the UCF Knights have earned some huge wins in the Big 12 conference proving that they belong. The Knights will look to build on this win against #5-ranked on January 20th. Meanwhile Texas has been on a bit of a tail spin and will look to stop the slide against the #9-ranked Baylor Bears, also on the 20th.

This article was written by Matthew Lawyer, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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