Few things are guaranteed in life. Among them are death, taxes, Kansas winning the Big 12 regular season title, and now, it seems, the championship in the College Basketball Invitational going the full three games. For the ninth time in 11 tournaments, the CBI championship will not end with a two-game sweep.
North Texas took care of that back on their home floor Wednesday night, and now they will hope homecourt advantage remains. The Mean Green pulled away in the second half for a 69-55 win after being up by just two at halftime.
The big thing North Texas did was win the possession battle, the only way they could win a game where they shot below 40 percent from the field including 2-18 on three-pointers, all while allowing San Francisco to shoot 42 percent. The Mean Green out-rebounded the Dons 43-31 and committed just three turnovers while forcing the Dons into 16.
The CBI is now in its 11th year, and it has utilized the best-of-three format for the championship all along. The only times it has ended in two games were in 2010 when a red-hot VCU team took care of Saint Louis and 2015 when Loyola-Chicago edged Louisiana Monroe in two straight. Interestingly, those two programs reached the Final Four within three years of that happening – VCU in 2011, and Loyola now.
San Francisco and North Texas will meet again on Friday night in Denton for the third and deciding game. It will be the latest of what is starting to become an annual tradition.
Side Dishes
The CBI was not alone on the night, as the CIT held its semifinals with both being decided by double digits. UIC went to Liberty and won the battle of the Flames 67-51, pulling away in the second half after being up by four at halftime, then Northern Colorado scored 57 points in the second half to pull away from visiting Sam Houston State 99-80 behind 40 points from Andre Spight. The championship game will be played on Friday in Greeley, CO.
The McDonald’s All-American game took place on Wednesday night in Atlanta, and the big performer is future North Carolina forward Nassir Little, who scored 28 points to lead the West to a 131-128 come-from-behind win. Little was named MVP as he shot 12-17 from the floor. It was a mixed bag for the Tar Heels’ arch rivals, as future Duke forward R.J. Barrett scored 26 points for the East, while fellow future Blue Devil Zion Williamson suffered a right hand injury in the second half and did not return.
In the least shocking news of the year, Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III declared for the NBA Draft with plans to hire an agent. This was expected all along, even more so when Bagley re-classified into the Class of 2017 last year, and he is expected to be one of the top three picks in June. Bagley led the ACC in scoring and rebounding and broke nine Duke records for freshmen, the latter a major accomplishment considering who has come through that program as impact freshmen.
Almost as unsurprising was news that Michigan State forward Miles Bridges is also off to the NBA Draft with plans to sign with Rich Paul as his agent. Most expected Bridges to do this last year, but he shocked everyone by coming back for a second season.
Also entering the draft and with plans to hire an agent is Maryland forward Justin Jackson. The sophomore missed much of this season due to a torn labrum in his shoulder that he simply couldn’t play through after just 11 games. He impressed as a freshman to get on a lot of radars, shooting nearly 44 percent from long range in addition to having a 7-foot-3 wingspan. It is unlikely he will be cleared to participate at the combine, which won’t help his stock, but he should be ready by the time the NBA summer league rolls around in July.
One player who is declaring without an agent is Georgia Southern star guard Tookie Brown. The three-time first team All-Sun Belt guard could return and become the first player to do that four times, and if he returns the Eagles would instantly be contenders in the Sun Belt next season as he and Ike Smith would combine to form easily the best backcourt in the conference.
Late breaking news as we went to press is that Texas A&M forward Tyler Davis is declaring for the NBA Draft, but not hiring an agent. The big man is an intriguing prospect with a good skill set, but not much athleticism even for a post player, and whether or not he stays in the draft will certainly affect the Aggies’ ceiling in 2018-19.
As the Final Four approaches, some sad news out of Illinois came out as Daryl Thomas, who was a starter on Indiana‘s national championship team in 1987, died of a heart attack. Thomas later played overseas and most recently was a high school coach in suburban Chicago. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Tonight’s Menu
The NIT championship game is on tap this evening with Utah taking on Penn State at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Immediately following that on ESPN2 will be the College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships from San Antonio.
