Fourth-Ranked Kentucky Falls at No. 2 Gonzaga
No. 4 Kentucky faced a number of obstacles on Sunday night. The Cats were taking on one of the nation’s best teams, second-ranked Gonzaga, in a hostile environment after having traveled about as far as they could travel within the 48 contiguous states. The Cats, as might be expected, got off to a slow start in the game before rallying in the second half. But in the end, it was not enough as Gonzaga beat Kentucky 88-72 at Spokane Arena. The game was billed as a showdown between National Player of the Year candidates. And neither Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe nor Gonzaga’s Drew Timme would disappoint. Tshiebwe, the defending player of the year, was in foul trouble in the second half, but still scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in just 28 minutes. Timme played 36 minutes and had 22 points and seven rebounds. Gonzaga actually had three players score at least 20 points. In addition to Timme, Rasir Bolton scored 24 to lead all scorers. Julian Strawther had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Zags. Kentucky got a career-high 16 points from Jacob Toppin, while Cason Wallace had 14 points and four more steals.
Bahamas Bound: Kentucky Plays No. 14/14 Virginia Tech, Dayton in Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship
The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is Bahama bound, competing in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship this week. The Wildcats will face their first ranked opponent of the season, commencing the slate of games against No. 14/14 Virginia Tech on Monday at noon ET before playing Dayton on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Both matchups will be hosted in the Baha Mar Grand Ballroom. The game will be streamed live at FloHoops.com.
No. 6/4 Cardinals Fall in Overtime to Gonzaga
Gonzaga stayed on the attack, particularly on the glass and in spite of a bevy of turnovers. The result was a takedown of No. 6 Louisville – and the second straight upset of a top-10 team to end the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Brynna Maxwell scored 21 points while Eliza Hollingsworth added 18 to help the Bulldogs beat the Cardinals 79-67 in overtime on Saturday night, a win that came immediately after Marquette’s win against No. 3 Texas. And just as the Golden Eagles in their game, the Bulldogs marked the highest-ranked opponent they had beaten in program history.
No. 6 Louisville beats No. 3 Texas at Battle 4 Atlantis
Sixth-ranked Louisville scrapped on the boards and gave coach Jeff Walz the level of fight he didn’t see a night before. Third-ranked Texas did the same for coach Vic Schaefer. It just wasn’t enough to beat the Cardinals and avoid an 0-2 start in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Chrislyn Carr scored 19 points to help Louisville beat Texas 71-63 in Sunday night’s consolation bracket, sending the Longhorns to their worst start in nearly a quarter-century. Morgan Jones and Hailey Van Lith each added 18 points for the Cardinals (4-1), who pulled away in the fourth quarter to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
Cardinals Face Top-10 Arkansas in Maui Invitational Opener
The Louisville men’s basketball team leaves home for the first time this season to compete in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, starting against No. 9/10 Arkansas at 5 p.m. ET Monday in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. The Cardinals have opened the season with three consecutive one-point losses to Bellarmine, Wright State and Appalachian State. Arkansas is 3-0 after beating North Dakota State, Fordham and South Dakota State at home. Louisville is 4-3 all-time against the Razorbacks, including a 3-2 mark on neutral courts – four of them in the NCAA Tournament.
Lady Toppers Return to Diddle Arena to Host Miami (Ohio)
WKU women’s basketball returns to E.A. Diddle Arena for just the second time during the 2022-23 season to host Miami (Ohio) on Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. The Lady Toppers opened the season with a pair of games against SEC foes in Vanderbilt and Missouri. Through two games, Jaylin Foster is WKU’s leading scorer, averaging 18.5 points per game. She’s also the squad’s leading rebounder, pulling down 8.5 boards per game. Foster currently has the 14th best steals per game average in the country, averaging 4.0 per contest. She had a career high six takeaways against Vanderbilt and two against Missouri.
WKU Opens Cayman Islands Classic with Akron
WKU Hilltopper Basketball is slated to open the Cayman Islands Classic against the Akron Zips on Monday at 12:30 p.m. CT. The game will stream on FloHoops from John Gray Gymnasium on Grand Cayman Island. WKU is 3-0 to start the season, picking up its most recent win over Indianapolis on Tuesday night. Akron, currently 2-1, defeated Morgan State 65-59 on the same evening. The Hilltoppers are 8-6 since 2017 in regular-season tournaments, winning two games each in the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis, 2018 Myrtle Beach Invitational, 2019 Paradise Jam and 2020 Crossover Classic.
Racers Defeat Tulsa For Myrtle Beach 3rd Place
The Murray State Racers brought home the third-place trophy at the Myrtle Beach Invitational 77-60 over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at the at HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina. The Racers come home winning two-of-three games including their first win over a ranked team since 2012 with an 88-79 win over Texas A&M on Thursday. MSU’s JaCobi Wood flirted with a triple-double on 12 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, while DJ Burns scored 11 points with 15 rebounds. Jamari Smith was 8-of-12 from the field for 19 points, while Kenny White, Jr. added 16 points as the Racers moved to 3-2 on the season.
Big Fourth Pushes Racers Past Chattanooga
The Murray State women’s basketball team trailed by as many as seven in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Chattanooga at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky, but rallied past the Mocs for a 59-56 win.
Govs face Albany in Daytona Beach
Austin Peay State University continues its swing through The Sunshine State when the Governors face Albany at 11 a.m. CT, Monday, inside the Ocean Center in their second game of the Greenlight Sunshine Slam, presented by Discount Tire. The game is televised online on FloHoops. The Governors compete in the Ocean Bracket with counterparts Albany, Bucknell, and Presbyterian. The winners of Monday’s games compete in the Ocean Bracket Championship on Tuesday at 11 a.m. The losers of Monday’s games play Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Ocean Bracket Consolation.
Govs travel to Savannah for Hostilo Hoops Community Classic
Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team tips off the second half of its nonconference schedule at the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic, Monday-Wednesday, at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia. The Governors begin the three-day event with a 1 p.m., Monday contest against Davidson followed by a 10:30 a.m., Tuesday game against Fairleigh Dickinson. Austin Peay then concludes the tournament against Illinois-Chicago at 1 p.m., Wednesday. Austin Peay (2-1) faces a familiar foe in Davidson (1-2) to tip off the Hostilo Hoops Community Classic. The Govs and Wildcats faced one another twice last season, with the two teams meeting at the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament, Nov. 26, 2021 and again in the 2022 Women’s Basketball Invitational, March 20. Fairleigh Dickinson (2-1) and Illinois Chicago (3-0) are the first and second first-time opponents for the Govs this season. Tuesday’s match against the Knights also is the first time APSU has faced a team from the Northeast Conference in program history.