Harper’s historic triple-double sends Rutgers back to Big Ten play on a high

Dylan Harper surveys floor en route to Rutgers’ first triple-double since 1983 Monday. (Photo by Rutgers Athletics)

By Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Sixteen points, twelve assists, eleven rebounds.

That was Dylan Harper’s stat line on Monday. No Rutgers player, not even his older brother, had recorded a triple-double since 1983. He also became the first freshman to notch a triple-double against a Division I opponent this season.

He’s not rubbing it into his brother’s face though.

“It’s not really one-upping him,” the younger Harper said. “If I’m being honest, that’s the guy I looked up to when I was younger, and just being out there and not trying to do what he hasn’t done, but just filling his shoes.”

His performance pushed Rutgers to a 91-64 victory closing out non-conference play against Columbia, moving the Scarlet Knights to 8-5. Harper scored 13 of his 16 in the second half, where Rutgers outscored Columbia by 18 points.

In the opening minutes, the Scarlet Knights got wherever they wanted, scoring in transition, in the half court, from beyond the arc, and from inside. Less than five minutes in, it was 18-6, and Columbia went to a zone.

The 2-3 zone bothered Rutgers for a moment, but Ace Bailey quickly started to destroy it playing in the middle. Bailey scored 17 points in the first half, displaying the ability to put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the floor. The Scarlet Knights had 26 assists and just four turnovers, including the 12 dimes with just one turnover for Harper.

“The way we passed the ball today, man or zone, it wouldn’t matter,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “We were very efficient and we didn’t turn the basketball over. I think we’re really good against zones, so even though we didn’t think they’d play a ton of it, we had to be prepared.”

With the lead cut to eight early in the second half, Harper went on a personal 7-3 run. He drained three-pointer and then two quick layups where he arrived at the rim with little resistance. It brought him from a half-dozen points to 13, and activated the triple-double watch. When he found Bailey for a layup in the paint to give him the triple-double with under five minutes to play, he ran over to his teammate.

“He told me after (that he had a triple-double),” Bailey said. “He was like, ‘thank you.’”

Rutgers is a very flawed basketball team. It ranks below 60th in both offense and defense, has dropped games to Kennesaw State and Princeton away from the RAC, and has struggled with some stingy defenses from mid-majors at home. But with Harper and Bailey, the Scarlet Knights have what it takes to have performances like this, where it all clicks, and it looks majestic.

For years, Rutgers’ identity has been on the defensive side of the ball, but that changed this year with the roster built around the two superstars, who have lived up to the hype, and in Harper’s case, vastly exceeded it. Ranked 100th in defense, Rutgers isn’t where it usually is under Pikiell, but has what it takes to beat any team on any night. Columbia may not be as strong an example of that as some of the teams the Scarlet Knights will face when returning to the Big Ten slate, but Rutgers hopes that the effort over the Lions is a big step in terms of finding the right formula for preparation.

“We had a really good week of practice,” Pikiell said. “Our prep was really good. You’re always worried coming back from break, but they were focused, and we have to continue to do that. You play how you practice, and we’ve been inconsistent with that. We need to be good, and we were good this week, but we have to be great moving forward.”

It’s an easy spot to overlook, coming back from break with a buy game before conference play, especially with a team that moves off the ball as well as Columbia does, but Rutgers proved up to the task. For Harper, who is now averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, shooting 52 percent from the field, the preparation difference was stark this week versus others.

“Seeing how locked in we’ve been recently,” Harper said. “I think the attention to detail we all have, the film watching we all had, and just the biggest thing is sticking together and being a group. We’re going to compete against each other hard every day.”

Heading into Big Ten play, Rutgers faces Indiana at Assembly Hall on Thursday, a place where Ron Harper, Jr. led the Scarlet Knights to wins in 2021 and 2022. The 2022 win came on a buzzer-beater, on Dylan’s 16th birthday.

“(Ron) was like ‘that’s a little birthday present’,” Dylan said, reminiscing.

Can Harper and Bailey deliver a New Year’s present to the Rutgers fan base? A fan base clamoring to see its most hyped team in program history play up to its potential hopes so.

On Creighton’s efficiency in win over St. John’s and as a whole

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

There are two ways to look at efficiency. First, of course, by the numbers, and then, the all-important eye test.

In Creighton’s 75-56 victory over St. John’s Saturday, the Bluejays rang up a 110 offensive

efficiency, holding the host Red Storm to just 82. Generally speaking, teams want to reach 100 or

better on the offensive end, while limiting the opposition to double figures. Coach Jim Flanery’s Bluejays (10-3, 2-0 Big East) accomplished both of those goals Saturday.

The eye test also bore out the outstanding efficiency of Creighton on the offensive end, showcased through four or five-out sets with spacing, constant motion, off-ball screens and cutters going to the hoop to receive pinpoint passes from the top or the wings, all the essence of a clinic in offensive execution. Having several players in the lineup capable of hitting from deep makes the Bluejays a very difficult team to guard.

Lauren Jensen, a 5-foot-10 senior and the game’s

leading scorer against St. John’s with 23 points, is a

40 percent shooter from downtown. Morgan Maly (16 points), a 6-foot-1 forward, can also play inside, but is equally as formidable when stepping out

beyond the arc, to the tune of 45 percent shooting from distance. As a team, Creighton’s effective field goal percentage is a blistering 54 percent, good for 20th-best in the nation.

Flanery has a team not just skilled in shooting, but in

caring for the ball as well. The Bluejays commit just 11 turnovers per game (fourth-fewest nationally) with a turnover percentage of 14 percent (11th-best in the nation).

Getting back to efficiency, Creighton’s average on

the offensive end is 108. With the Big East schedule

just two games old, a conference reading is subject to too small a sample. However, the Bluejays rank 30th nationally in that category. On two occasions this year, they have been under 100 in offensive efficiency, once in a mid-November loss to a Kansas State ranked tenth in the country, the other being the December setback to top-ranked UCLA, who limited Creighton to a season-low 61. No disgrace in that

situation, just ask South Carolina. The defense allows a 94 metric, at 226th. That is one of the very few numbers Creigton posts in the lower 50 percent of the national rankings. Regardless, a 93 is an above-average number on the defensive end.

The numbers simply bear out what an observer not versed in the numerology of tempo-free statistics

would know. Creighton is a model of efficiency, its

offense running on all cylinders with crisp passes and weak-side players making sharp cuts and a propensity to share the ball, evidenced by 17 assists per outing, 29th-best in the nation. It all adds up to a basketball connoisseur’s delight, a team that is a joy to watch from a purist’s angle.

A joy to watch, except if you’re on the opposing bench.

Iona’s conclusion to 2024 “frustrating” to Anderson, who now resets as Gaels face Marist

Tobin Anderson has expressed consternation amid Iona’s early struggles. Gaels are 4-9 with MAAC play resuming Friday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Tobin Anderson went into Sunday thinking his Iona team was prime to turn a corner in its final non-conference matchup of the season.

After the Gaels had, in the coach’s view, a satisfactory practice leading up to their game against Harvard, why wouldn’t the coach be encouraged by a light at the end of a tunnel that appeared winding and circuitous at various times this season?

For a time in the second half Sunday, Anderson’s vision manifested as Iona fought from an inconsistent first half to build a five-point lead with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation. But yet another inconsistent stretch came at the most inopportune time as Harvard ripped off a 12-0 run to steal momentum—and ultimately, a 67-61 win—from the homestanding Gaels at the Hynes Athletics Center.

“I was really excited because I thought we had turned a corner,” Anderson lamented. “I thought we practiced well (Saturday) and we were gonna play well, and we didn’t. If you don’t play as hard as you could play, as together as you can play and as tough as you can play every night out, you’re gonna be in trouble. And that’s what we don’t have right now. We’re a little bit too concerned about our own situation than the team situation. Basketball’s the ultimate team game. You’ve gotta play for each other, and right now, we’re not. And we’ve gotta keep getting better at that.”

“We didn’t act like a mature team. When you’re up by four or five, you gotta get it to seven or eight. We turned it over at some crucial times and we didn’t get great shots. We’ve got guards living on jumpers, so we gotta do a better job of that.”

Iona’s offense, which Anderson desires to be an uptempo outfit regularly scoring 80 or more points per game, has sputtered more often than not during its 4-9 start to the season. Dejour Reaves and Adam Njie have performed admirably as the senior-freshman backcourt pairing this season, with James Patterson providing an understated impact alongside them in his first Division I season. But after that, a number of question marks remain. Anderson has shaken up his lineup, played all-experienced hands, let some of his younger players undergo a baptism by fire at some points as well. However, each trial has ultimately reached the same impasse.

“To be a good offensive team, you gotta do things for each other,” he pleaded. “We’re not doing enough of that right now. It’s like having a team that’s young, inexperienced and not been together. The problem is we’re not young, we’re not inexperienced. We have some older guys who we need more out of. I don’t think we’re playing with a great purpose right now, and that irritates me a little bit. What are we trying to do?”

“It’s just been frustrating, as you could probably tell. There’s an energy level we can get to, but we don’t do it consistently. I thought we showed a little bit of energy—(Justin) Menard comes in and gives us energy, I thought Yaphet (Moundi) played his ass off—we need that from every guy, plain and simple. We’re not this offensive juggernaut, so we have to play that way.”

Moore's career-best propels Norfolk State to road win at High Point

 

Norfolk State guard Brian Moore scored a career-best 33 in Sunday's victory at High Point.  (Photo:  Norfolk State Athletics)

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HIGH POINT, N.C. – Norfolk State basketball is past the point of surprising anyone.

The Spartans are favored to win the MEAC this season, they have a highly-respected coach, and they will get everyone’s best shot every time they take the floor. Those reasons played into High Point’s desire to get Norfolk State on its schedule.

After Sunday, High Point has a lot to review and little time to do so – but don’t tell them that’s a negative.

Norfolk State guard Brian Moore guided the Spartans from beginning to end – including hitting the two free throws that sealed the outcome – in scoring 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting as the Spartans held off High Point, 77-74, before an announced crowd of 2,743 at the Qubein Center.

“We thought we had a pretty solid plan for him,” High Point coach Alan Huss said of Moore. “We really let him split way too often. We got spread out and he really filleted us. He snaked some middle pick-and-rolls. He just lived in the paint and was way too comfortable.

“We knew this was a hard game when we scheduled it. We thought it would be a great test prior to the conference season. They were better than us. They had a better plan than us. They executed that plan better. They were the better team today.”

Norfolk State (9-6) broke the seal on a Kuluel Mading three on its first possession, then surrendered an early lead on a Kimani Hamilton triple that squared the contest at seven apiece. Chase Johnston gave High Point the lead on its next possession, followed by his being assessed a technical foul for his response to the made basket.

“You get a technical for shooting an arrow or whatever the heck he did,” Huss said. “Everybody does it on every made three. I didn’t like it, but it ended up being the difference in the game, maybe. We had three times we stepped out of bounds. We missed two dunks. We missed a number of other layups.”

After another Johnston triple put High Point ahead, 15-14, Christian Ings hit a floater to put Norfolk State back in front. The Spartans controlled the advantage for much of the remainder of the half, interrupted by a D’Maurian Williams triple that gave the Panthers a 34-33 advantage. Moore then hit a jumper that keyed a quick 6-0 burst to close the half and give Norfolk State a 39-34 margin at the interval.

High Point (12-3) eliminated the deficit just four minutes into the second half, using a trio of Johnston threes from increasing areas of difficulty to surge ahead, 46-45. Johnston would add another to give the Panthers a four-point lead. Moore would then counter on the opposite end to pull the Spartans within two, followed by a Tyrel Bladen hook that drew the game back level. Two Moore free throws would give Norfolk back the advantage.

Norfolk State would gradually extend its lead to nine just past the eight-minute mark, as Chris Fields put home a free throw. The Spartans continued to lead by multiple possessions for the next several minutes, despite being unable to capitalize on several tries to extend the game into double digits. 

High Point had one more remaining surge, though.

The Panthers tore off an 8-2 burst in a minute and a half, with Johnston and Kezza Giffa sinking threes before a Kimani Hamilton bucket sliced the Norfolk lead to one and induced a timeout from Spartans coach Robert Jones. Moore had the answer out of the stoppage, putting home a leaner that moved the Spartans back ahead by three. Moore again connected on a short jumper following two Giffa free throws, giving the visitors a 75-72 lead with 23 seconds remaining.

High Point had a look to tie the game on its final full possession, but Simon Hildebrandt’s three-point attempt fell short. Williams boarded the miss and put home a bucket, but High Point had little more it could do than foul Moore and watch him sink the final two free throws of the game.

“They made a good defensive play,” Huss said of Norfolk State’s defense on the final try. “We were trying to run a play that we’ve run a few times in the past – we were trying to run the counter to it. They did a nice job of staying attached. I really thought we’d catch them sleeping and we’d get Simon a step in and we didn’t. We didn’t execute it very well.”

Moore’s 33 led the Spartans and all scorers. The graduate student from Harlem eclipsed his prior career-high of 31, set against William & Mary in November. Moore made 13 shots – also a career-high.

“I think that was the game. I think (spacing) was the issue,” Huss said of his team’s defensive effort on Moore. “You can reduce it really to that. Can you, at the end of the day, make him give the basketball up? He’s such a long strider. He does a lot of things that guards don’t really do at this level a ton. He’s so good at it. On top of that, he makes us pay – he ends up with six assists and 33 points. He was the difference in the game. He was the best guard on the floor and the best player on the floor today.”

Ings added 12 for the Spartans, putting home 5-of-6 tries from the field. Norfolk State shot 53.8 percent from the field (28-for-52), despite a 5-for-15 effort (33.3 percent) from distance. The Spartans also held an eye-popping 40-8 advantage on points in the paint.

Johnston led the Panthers with 23, draining 8-of-14 tries from the deck. Hamilton booked a double-double, pouring in 18 points and snaring 15 misses. Giffa added 12 points, with half that total coming from the charity stripe. Juslin Bodo Bodo dominated the boards for the Panthers, pulling down 17 boards (nine offensive). The Panthers shot just 34.5 percent (19-for-55) from the field, sinking just four two-point tries. High Point finished 15-for-36 (41.7 percent) from deep and 21-for-33 (63.6 percent) from the free throw line.

Norfolk State finishes non-MEAC play Tuesday afternoon from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, as the Spartans battle top-ranked Tennessee. Streaming coverage will be available over SEC Network+ and ESPN+. High Point welcomes Radford to the Qubein Center Thursday to open the Big South conference slate. The game will be broadcast as the first installment of the league’s Wildcard Thursday slate, with action set to tip at 7:00 (Eastern) on ESPNU.

NORFOLK STATE 77, HIGH POINT 74

NORFOLK STATE (9-6)

Mading 3-7 0-1 7, Myers 1-3 4-5 7, Ings 5-6 2-4 12, Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Moore 13-21 7-7 33, McMahon 2-8 0-0 6, Bladen 2-2 0-2 4, Leakes 0-0 0-0 0, Fields 0-2 2-2 2, Darden 2-2 1-2 6. Totals 28-52 16-23 77.

HIGH POINT (12-3)

Hamilton 4-7 9-12 18, Bodo Bodo 0-2 3-7 3, Giffa 2-9 6-7 12, Johnston 8-14 0-0 24, Williams 3-14 1-3 9, Benham 2-6 0-0 6, Hildebrandt 0-1 0-0 0, Pettiford 0-2 0-2 0, Ibukunoluwa 0-0 2-2 2, Anderson 0-0 0-0 0, Thiam 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-55 21-33 74.

Halftime:  Norfolk State 39-34. 3-Point goals:  High Point 15-36 (Hamilton 1-2, Giffa 2-6, Johnston 8-13, Williams 2-7, Benham 2-6, Hildebrandt 0-1, Pettiford 0-1), Norfolk State 5-15 (Mading 1-3, Myers 1-2, Moore 0-1, McMahon 2-7, Fields 0-1, Darden 1-1). Fouled out:  NA.  Rebounds:  High Point 41 (Bodo Bodo 17), Norfolk State 31 (Myers/Moore 5). Total fouls:  Norfolk State 25, High Point 19. Technicals:  Johnston (HPU).

Points off turnovers:  Norfolk State 12, High Point 12.  Points in the paint:  Norfolk State 40, High Point 8. Second-chance points:  High Point 19, Norfolk State 15.  Fast-break points:  High Point 17, Norfolk State 11.  Bench points:  Norfolk State 18, High Point 8.

 

Quinnipiac downs Hofstra in Pecora’s reunion with his former program

Speedy Claxton (left) poses with Tom Pecora before Quinnipiac hosted Hofstra Sunday. Pecora recruited Claxton nearly three decades ago when he was Jay Wright’s assistant at Hofstra. (Photo by Stephen Gorchov/Hofstra Athletics)

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

HAMDEN, Conn. — In the coaching industry, working in one place for 16 years is a really long time. With how short leashes are nowadays in college basketball, you have to really know what you’re doing to stick in one spot for so long. The relationships that you build during times like that are ones that last a lifetime, ones that span generations. Tom Pecora can speak on that firsthand.

Pecora spent 16 years at Hofstra—seven as an assistant and nine as the head coach—and during his time there, recruited a kid out of Christ The King High School in Queens by the name of Speedy Claxton.

“(The) first time I met him, he was 15,” Pecora said of Claxton. “And we’ve been friends our entire lives.”

Fast forward 28 years from when Claxton suited up in a Pride uniform for the first time as a freshman, he found himself opposite Pecora on the sidelines as head coach of his alma mater Sunday, when Hofstra visited Quinnipiac to close out non-conference play for both teams.

“I don’t like to schedule friends,” Pecora said. “But they needed a game and we needed a game, so here we are.” 

On Sunday, Pecora guided the Bobcats to a 75-69 overtime win to earn bragging rights over Claxton in front of a great crowd in Hamden. A win like that for Quinnipiac is exactly what the doctor ordered after being 3-7 in non-conference play coming into the day.

“I feel like it’s all coming together,” Pecora said. “Going into conference play, this is very important for us.

Pecora and the staff probably won’t be showing much offensive film to their guys after this one, at least shooting wise. The Bobcats shot 29 percent as a team and 21 percent from three. You may be wondering, how can a team win when shooting like that?

Paul Otieno (33) tallied double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds in Quinnipiac’s win over Hofstra. (Photo by Quinnipiac Athletics)

The answer? Rebounding. Quinnipiac was plus-22 on the glass against Hofstra and plus-20 on the offensive boards, creating second and third—and in one case, fourth—opportunities to convert. Paul Otieno had a season-high 14 rebounds to go with 17 points, while Amarri Monroe grabbed 11 boards along with his 20 points, their fifth and third double-doubles of the season, respectively. 

“I thought our frontcourt could have a huge presence and impact on the game,” Pecora said. “You know, we give out hard hats and gloves after every game, and the two hard hats went to Amarri and Paul.”

“The rebound margin was insane,” Monroe added. “That’s what won us the game.”

The Bobcats had a significant advantage inside, but the Pride had their number on the perimeter. Jean Aranguren, familiar to Quinnipiac fans from his time at Iona, had a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists, knocking down some clutch free throws to get the game to overtime in the first place.

“Everyone in the gym knows he’s driving right and you know what he does, he drives right,” Pecora said of Aranguren. “It’s amazing to see the difference in him this year from last.”

After Aranguren, Cruz Davis was the only other Hofstra player in double figures, with 14 points.

“Our whole game plan was around Cruz Davis,” Pecora said. “If Aranguren gets 20, that’s one thing, but we can’t let both of them go off.”

The Bobcat backcourt had an up-and-down game. Two of the guards left the game due to injury and didn’t play in overtime. Savion Lewis appeared to aggravate something in his lower body and, while he tried to give it a go after going to the training table, ultimately could not. Jaden Zimmerman took a hard fall after a fancy finish around the rim and landed on his back and was spotted wearing a device to soothe what Pecora called back spasms, and also did not play in overtime. In their absence, Khaden Bennett was the guy pegged with late-game free throw responsibilities, and he converted to help secure the win. Ryan Mabrey provided some valuable minutes despite not making a field goal, and Alexis Reyes had seven points and seven rebounds off the bench.

“I thought the minutes that Lex Reyes gave us today were tremendous,” Pecora said. 

Reyes drilled a clutch three to extend the Bobcat lead to five with 3:20 to play in regulation, but Aranguren went a perfect 4-for-4 at the line after that and the game ended up in overtime. In fact, the Pride went a perfect 17-for-17 at the stripe as a team.

Quinnipiac had a chance to walk it off with exactly one second remaining on a sideline out-of-bounds play, but Monroe couldn’t convert a layup inside. In overtime, Bennett found Otieno for a major basket to increase the lead to four, and it was all Bobcats from there after some free throws.

“Paul Otieno, if you look up warrior in the dictionary, he’s there,” Pecora said. “He just gives you everything and is a great leader. When he first got here, you knew he was a high-level athlete, but he understands when and where situations are to be aggressive.”

Quinnipiac picked up its best win of the season to close non-conference play, but that’s hardly the main story of the game.

“We wanted to win this one for Coach P,” Monroe said. “He coached (at Hofstra) and kinda built what they are today, so after that we addressed (to him) that, ‘that was for you.’”

Pecora was very emotional reminiscing on his relationship with Claxton and his family, getting choked up when talking about Claxton’s mother, who passed away.

“He made our careers after I recruited him,” Pecora said of his relationship with Claxton. “We went to two NCAA Tournaments and it changed all of our lives, so I’m very grateful for him.”

The Bobcats are going to Long Island next year to return the game with Hofstra and conclude the home-and-home series. This was one of just four home non-conference games for Pecora this year after playing a majority at home last season. 

“I needed to play as many home games last year as possible to get a contract from these guys,” Pecora joked toward Quinnipiac athletic director Greg Amodio. “This year, we’re paying the price a bit on the road, but we had a great crowd today. We probably had this many people in the building because the Pats, the Giants and the Jets all stink.”

The Bobcats are next in action on Friday in Jersey City against Saint Peter’s, looking to build off their 2-0 MAAC start from a few weeks ago. The Pride returns to the court Thursday when it hosts William & Mary to open CAA play.

Johnnies wrap up OOC slate with minor details to fix, but upside still at its peak

As Big East play returns to forefront, Deivon Smith has raised his game accordingly, turning up intensity since returning to St. John’s lineup on December 7. (Photo by Vincent Dusovic/St. John’s Athletics)

NEW YORK — Rick Pitino began his postgame press conference Saturday by highlighting how coaches would normally be pleased after a win such as the one his St. John’s team picked up Saturday to conclude its non-conference schedule.

However, Pitino immediately clarified he was “anything but” satisfied with the manner in which the Red Storm solidified its 11th victory in 13 attempts. And with a return to Big East play—where the Johnnies won both of their conference lid-lifters prior to the holidays—on the horizon, the veteran coach offered a more complete assessment of where his group stands heading into Tuesday’s trip to Creighton.

“I think we did our job,” Pitino said of the non-conference season. “I don’t think we’re near our potential, which is a good thing, not a bad thing. We have to get better defensively, and it’s just guys understanding personnel. If I had to point out our biggest weakness, obviously, free throw shooting is glaring, but I think our biggest weakness is absorbing the scouting report.”

Pitino harped on scouting twice last season, after St. John’s was beset by losses to Dayton and Boston College in non-league play. Unlike last year, though, the criticism of his players not grasping the scouting reports was not as scathing, met instead by a reminder of what is needed to succeed and an affirmation of that by the latest in a long line of Star point guards to develop under his tutelage.

“Guys from winning programs that come back know how important college scouting is,” Pitino elaborated. “It’s much more important than the NBA. Every single thing from out-of-bounds plays to press offenses is important, and we’re struggling with that a little bit. But the other areas, we’re doing a good job of passing the ball.”

Deivon Smith, who flirted with a triple-double against Delaware, shared his coach’s sentiment.

“I still think we need to play two complete halves,” he said. “We gotta stop the 3-ball. We’ve played against some good shooting teams, so we’ve still got stuff to work on. I think we’re definitely capable of making shots, but we’re definitely going to improve on 3-point shooting. We can’t keep beating teams off the bounce, so we’re going to need threes and free throws.”

Smith dazzled Saturday, racking up 20 points that he supplemented with 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Utah transfer continues to lead the St. John’s backcourt while Zuby Ejiofor anchors the front line.

“Anytime a point guard gets 13 rebounds, pushes the pace, forces everybody to run, that’s really a strong suit,” Pitino said of Smith’s effort. “I think Deivon has picked up his game to Zuby’s level, which is great. He’s really, really playing hard, and if we can get the rest of the pack to join in those levels from an intensity standpoint, it’d be great.”

Smith’s uptick in hustle is twofold. Not only has he learned to acclimate himself to the grueling nature of Pitino’s work ethic and system, but since returning three weeks ago from a one-game, player-imposed suspension, the senior’s mentality has also evolved, turning him into a team-first player while using his skill set for the betterment of the greater good. In Saturday’s win, Smith and Kadary Richmond combined for 15 of the Red Storm’s 23 assists.

“It’s just a lot of sacrifice,” Smith said of the Johnnies’ ability to spread the wealth. “Every guy, one through five, can play on a Power 5 team and have 20 each and every night, so there’s just a lot of sacrifice, sharing the ball, knowing each other’s talents. We spend a lot of time in the gym together, so we just really feed off each other’s energy and just play for each other. That’s how we get those assists like that.”

“I feel good, honestly. Coming back from the suspension, I’ve had a different mindset. I didn’t really want to have that feeling (again). I wasn’t playing, I was watching and I don’t really like to watch. I like to be involved, I like to have fun with them. I just use every day to compete and get better. Some days, I don’t feel like it, but this is probably the first year where I’ve had to come in each and every day and play hard as hell. I’m picking up my motor, honestly. I used to rely a lot on my athleticism and not be in a certain spot, knowing my speed would make up for it.”

Smith will have his work cut out for him Tuesday, as will his teammates, as St. John’s embarks upon its second conference road test. The Red Storm defeated Providence on an Ejiofor putback at the buzzer on December 20, instilling some confidence into a group that acquitted itself well away from home last year. The aspect of starting Big East play with two of St. John’s first three league games outside New York did not faze Pitino, who looked at the glass half-full and offered a telling glimpse into his side’s potential heading into the new year.

“We played really well on the road last year,” he recounted. “We lost at the buzzer on a tough call last year at Creighton, we lost a tough call at UConn, (but) we were a pretty good road team. If this team can get to where last year’s team was at the end of the year, with this type of talent, we’ll be a tough team come March.”

Takeaways from the CBS Sports Classic

By Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman)

NEW YORK — On Saturday, inside Madison Square Garden, the CBS Sports Classic provided two teams a major lifeline to potentially jump-start and save their seasons.

North Carolina picked up a come-from-behind, 76-74 win over UCLA in the opener. The Tar Heels trailed by 16 points in the second half, but took advantage of the Bruins’ foul trouble to build back and grab the win behind a big performance from Ian Jackson.

In the second game, Ohio State demolished Kentucky, 85-65. That score came as a major surprise, as the Wildcats came in ranked No. 4 in the country. Bruce Thornton led the way for the Buckeyes.

UCLA is Tyler Bilodeau’s team.

If you looked at UCLA’s roster before the season, there were a few questions that you would’ve had. The first one was that of who would be the go-to scorers. Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack are good scorers, but neither of them is a true alpha. But Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau has emerged to take that role.

He scored UCLA’s first 11 points of the game, helping build a big first-half lead. He emptied his bag with fadeaways, threes, finishes at the rim, and much more that displayed his soft touch. Through 12 games, he’s averaging a career-high 15.1 points per game on 51 percent from the field and 43 percent from deep. However, with ten minutes to play in the first half, he picked up his second foul, and sat the rest of the half while UNC charged back.

Eric Dailey, Jr., UCLA’s defensive presence on the inside, also picked up two fouls, and also a knock on the head that kept him out for nearly all of the second half, save the first 12 seconds.

Bilodeau scored another baker’s dozen in the second half, finishing with 26, but picked up his fourth foul with over ten minutes left, and didn’t return to the game for a while.

“Him going out changed the game,” Mick Cronin said. “If he doesn’t go out, if they call that a charge or a no-call, we’re having a different press conference.”

Cronin said he wanted to get to under five minutes left in the game before he put Bilodeau back, and while he held his word, it was too late, as North Carolina seized momentum and eventually, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. 

North Carolina needs to go small

Every day after practice, Hubert Davis receives a text. It’s just two words.

“Coach Davis,” it reads.

He responds to the five-star freshman, “Player Jackson.”

Ian Jackson shoots back, “What can I do to get better?”

On Saturday, the Bronx native proved that he needs to be on the court more, as he scored 24 points, including multiple key jumpers to bring UNC back from the big deficit that it faced.

The Tar Heels are loaded with guards, with Jackson coming off the bench behind RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau, and Seth Trimble, veterans who can all play. But in the second half, UNC decided to change it up and go with a four-guard lineup, and it completely unlocked the game.

“I felt like they were just loading up on RJ,” Hubert Davis said. “And Ian got it going offensively as well in the first half, so just having multiple scorers out there, I thought that would be really good for us, because it puts teams in a situation. Do you want to go big, or do you want to match up with that?”

He hinted at continuing to use that lineup throughout the season, which he absolutely has to do. I have been clamoring to see Davis commit to the bit and go small full-time, and admit that this UNC team doesn’t have the frontcourt to play the way that he typically wants to, and he’s close to doing it.

In games against Quad 2 or better opponents, UNC is 2-5, ranking 48th in offense and 130th in defense. The defense is already bad, and there’s no fixing that, so the Tar Heels need to improve the offense, and make sure that it is among one of the five or ten best in the sport, which they can strive toward with the four-guard lineup.

John Mobley, Jr. can score at all levels

Earlier in the week, Meechie Johnson left the Ohio State team. Johnson was predicted to be one of the leading scorers for the Buckeyes, as he left a good South Carolina team to come back to Ohio State for his senior year. However, it hadn’t been going as anticipated. Johnson struggled, averaging just 9.1 points on 35.6 percent from the field.

Bruce Thornton is the Buckeyes’ alpha, and he scored 30 points in the win over Kentucky, but Ohio State wouldn’t have dominated the game if not for the easy scoring ability of John Mobley, who has exceeded all expectations, and been the flamethrower that OSU needs. Even before Johnson left, Mobley was outpacing him in the scoring category, but he had arguably his most impressive all-around performance on Saturday.

If you know one thing about Mobley, it’s about how good of a shooter he is. He’s making 48 percent of his 5.3 attempts per game, but he struggled from deep on Saturday, making just one of eight attempts. It didn’t matter. He got to the rim at a much higher rate than usual, drawing a few fouls, and bursting past his defenders. Mobley finished with 15 points on 4-of-5 from inside the arc and 4-for-4 from the line.

Ohio State needs him to shoot better than 1-for-8, but the gravity that his shooting ability creates is enough to help him get to the rim as well.

“Off-night Kentucky”

The Ohio State game was easily Kentucky’s worst performance of the season. It’s not often that a team with as much offensive firepower as the Wildcats will have an effective field goal percentage of 33.3, and to compound that, they couldn’t stop Ohio State from getting to the rim either.

So why did Kentucky have such an off-night?

“They rejected (their ball screens) a ton,” Mark Pope said of how Ohio State penetrated the rim so easily. “I’ve been fighting and pushing out bigs up to the point of the screen thinking we can manage it. So when you push your bigs up, and you’re getting rejecting, the lane is wide open. We tried a bunch of different scheme changes, but they were just too good for us today.”

Sometimes that will happen, and Kentucky isn’t fully there yet, so there will be bumps in the road, but Pope also recognizes the mentality that it puts his players in when they struggle. Down by an increasing margin, with nothing falling, UK had some bad offensive possessions, which held the Wildcats back from pushing forward.

“We just fell to pieces offensively,” he said. “We just went to our default, and our default is still bad habits. It’s not that it’s coming from a bad place in guy’s hearts. It’s coming from a great place, a desperation to help the team, but we don’t do that by ourselves. We do it through discipline, we do it the way we need to, making plays for each other, and that’s still not our default.”

If Kentucky can get to that default, it will make the off nights easier.

Georgetown’s third win in nine days a sign of upward mobility for young Hoyas

By Sam Federman (@Sam_Federman)

NEWARK, N.J. — It has been an excellent nine days to be a Georgetown Hoya fan. You haven’t been able to say that for a very long time.

On a freezing cold night in Newark, both outside on the street and inside the Prudential Center, Georgetown followed up wins at Syracuse and at home against Creighton with a 61-60 win over Seton Hall. It marks the Hoyas’ first time winning three games in a row against high-major teams since the 2021 Big East Tournament. It’s the first time since 2015-16 that Georgetown is 2-0 in Big East play.

While this Hoya team still has a ton of questions to be answered, there is some badly-needed proof of concept in year two for Ed Cooley since jumping over to Washington, D.C. from Providence 20 months ago.

Last week, Cooley called the win at the JMA Wireless Dome over Syracuse the biggest win of his tenure at Georgetown. Now, it might rank third.

“It’s very important,” Cooley said of the last nine days. “At that point in time, given the rivalry with Syracuse and going on the road, given the season we came off of, it was a big win, but when you get into Big East play, you don’t even think about non-conference. When you play in this league, it’s a monster.”

Georgetown’s only Big East road win last year was at DePaul, where it would’ve been a bigger story to not win than to win. This version of Seton Hall may not be great, but the Pirates fight tooth and nail to the end, and it’s meaningful to come out on top.

“You go on the road, and it’s 15 below zero outside, 17 below zero inside,” Cooley said, poking fun at the temperature in the arena that had hosted a PWHL game earlier Sunday. “The ball didn’t bounce well because it was so numb. The ball was numb, it was so damn cold in here, but any win is a good win, especially in league play, in particular on the road.”

Without starting guard Malik Mack due to injury, freshman Caleb Williams has slid into Georgetown’s starting lineup for each of the last two games. He’s one of the first dominoes in the new culture that Cooley is building on the Hilltop. Williams scored just eight points, but they all came in big spots. He ended two Seton Hall runs with threes, coming through with rebounding and defense when the Hoyas needed it as well.

In the second half, starting point guard Jayden Epps went down with a leg injury, but fought to come back into the game not once, but twice. He didn’t quite look the same down the stretch, as he’d scored 15 points in a grinder before picking up the injury, but he was available when his team needed him.

While all of those pieces, like Epps, Williams, and TCU transfer Micah Peavy, a two-way wing who stepped in as the makeshift point guard when Epps went down, are important, this team isn’t anywhere close to where it is without Thomas Sorber.

Sorber has changed the trajectory of Georgetown’s program as a true freshman, and in his return to his home state of New Jersey, he delivered a team-high 19 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and swatted four shots, making his presence felt on both ends. He doesn’t turn 19 until Christmas Day, but Cooley called Sorber “one of the best Christmas gifts (he’s) ever received.”

Sorber has helped Cooley build the program on the face of toughness and interior defense. His length and instincts have made life difficult for opposing offenses, and freed up the rest of the defenders to be more aggressive. After ranking outside the top 300 in defense last year, Georgetown is in the top 50 defensively right now. Sorber’s incredible presence has led the 16th-best 2-point defense in the country.

“My coaches are always telling me to not mind the physicality,” Sorber said. “They tell me before the game that they’re gonna be physical to me because they know who I am, so I just try to keep my head in the game.”

He’s done more than just that, building a case to be an NBA prospect, and helping to build Georgetown back.

“Our brand of basketball is physicality,” Cooley said. “If you’re not physical or tough, you’re not coming to Georgetown. If you’re soft, you’re not going to last long in this culture.”

But while these are important steps that show how far the program has come, Georgetown is still far from where it believes it belongs in college basketball. The Hoyas nearly blew a double-digit lead and survived on the final possession against a 5-8 Seton Hall team.

“We had a lot of young pups out there,” Cooley said. “They peed down their leg a few times. You get one turnover, it turns into two into three turnovers, that turns into offensive rebounds. Those are all energy things.”

But at the end of the day, a win is a win, and Georgetown hasn’t had many of those in the Big East in recent years.

Are the Hoyas a truly great team, or even a good one? That remains to be seen. But in terms of progress and culture, and within the landscape of the Big East this year, Georgetown is good enough.