Xavier and UConn gave us a preview of things to come. We can only hope this is representative of that, because they gave us one of the best games of the young season to close out the day in the Charleston Classic.
And there was plenty to this semifinal in the Charleston Classic.
Xavier held on 75-74 in double overtime in a game that had plenty of drama. Even as the Musketeers looked poised to close it out in the extra sessions, they gave UConn new life, and the Huskies almost made them pay dearly. As if that wasn’t enough, with the game tied in the first overtime in the closing seconds, Xavier’s Naji Marshall (game-high 21 points), who had hit a big three-pointer to put them up by five a little earlier, hoisted a very deep three-pointer with plenty of time left on the clock that gave UConn one more heave that didn’t go.
The iron man of the night was Xavier’s Tyrique Jones. His box score shows a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and he had a big block at the end of regulation. But what the box score doesn’t tell you is how at one point he was playing without a shoe, or how he appeared to cramp up after blocking that shot and was on the floor for a couple of minutes before walking off grimacing. He appeared intent on toughing it out, and he sure did. He left the court with 1:36 left in overtime, and you might have thought he was done for the night. Not so, as he returned before it was over and for the second overtime.
UConn was able to hang in thanks to James Bouknight (19 points) showing why he was so highly-regarded and why his off-court incident a couple of months ago was concerning. Josh Carlton (10 points, eight rebounds) at times looked like a man among boys, although he didn’t maintain that all game and played just 27 minutes before fouling out. They forced 21 Xavier turnovers to hang in despite shooting just 30 percent from the field, with the starting backcourt of Alterique Gilbert and Christian Vital combining to go just 4-25.
And all of it came in a game that went past midnight. It was a game that felt worthy of March, or at least February. It’s the kind of game college basketball needs to see in November.
Xavier now gets a chance in Sunday’s championship game, while UConn will play for third place. No matter what happens for both teams, Friday night’s matchup will be the kind of game many hope we’ll see plenty of when UConn rejoins the Big East next year.
Side Dishes
Tournament/multi-team event roundup:
- In other games in the Charleston Classic, Missouri State edged Saint Joseph’s 71-69 and Buffalo edged Towson 76-73 in consolation round action. The other semifinal was a very different game, with Florida breaking away from Miami 78-58 to get the day going.
- Duke took home the 2K Empire Classic title with an 81-73 win over Georgetown, adjusting well after the Hoyas controlled the game early, while Texas took third place by pulling away from Cal 62-45.
- The Myrtle Beach Invitational had its second day of action as well. In consolation games, Tulane took out Middle Tennessee 86-74 and Utah handled Ohio 80-66. In the semifinals, Villanova held off Mississippi State 83-76 and Baylor rallied to take over the game on a 30-8 run to beat Coastal Carolina 77-65.
- The Paradise Jam got underway with quarterfinal action, with Valparaiso taking out Grand Canyon 78-74, Nevada beating Fordham 74-60, Cincinnati just getting past Illinois State 66-65 in a dandy, and Bowling Green edging Western Kentucky 77-75 despite 19 points and 12 rebounds from Charles Bassey.
- Also getting underway was the Jamaica Classic at Montego Bay, with North Carolina A&T taking out Nicholls 66-54, Eastern Michigan handling UMBC 62-45, Rhode Island using a big second half to beat North Texas 60-47 and Utah State rallying to edge LSU 80-78.
Other results of note: Maryland handed George Mason their first loss of the year in impressive fashion, blowing out the Patriots 86-63; Kentucky got pushed by Mount St. Mary’s for a half before pulling away in the second half 82-62; Wake Forest beat Davidson 82-74 behind a double-double from Olivier Sarr (15 points, 12 rebounds); Arkansas handed South Dakota their first loss with a 77-56 win; Oregon took care of Houston 78-66 in Eugene; and Temple handed USC their first loss of the season while moving to 4-0 by beating the Trojans 70-61 in Los Angeles.
The NCAA’s transfer waivers have been the subject of much angst and scrutiny, and for good reason. There seems to be little rhyme or reason to who gets one and who doesn’t. On Thursday, all of that hit a boiling point. After the NCAA denied Joey Hauser a waiver to be able to play this season for Michigan State, head coach Tom Izzo resigned from the NABC board of directors. It is a big statement considering Izzo’s stature in the game, not only because of his success but because he is such a champion for college basketball as well. He’s had flirtations with the NBA but has always come back to college, and those who love the sport are so much the better for it.
Some injury news we missed from Thursday: Southern Illinois suffered a big blow earlier in the week, as the school announced Aaron Cook will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken hand suffered in Tuesday night’s loss at Murray State. The senior is their leading scorer and assist man through the first six games.
Oklahoma State announced that the school received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA that includes a Level 1 violation tied to former assistant coach Lamont Evans, who was arrested in the FBI investigation into corruption. No other staff member is alleged to have violated NCAA rules, so the school is hopeful that their action – firing Evans for cause just days after his arrest – and suspension of former player Jeffrey Carroll – will help them avoid a stiff penalty.
Arizona kicked Devonaire Doutrive off the team for a violation of team rules, ending a tumultuous stretch for the sophomore wing. He was suspended for the first two games of the season, and after being a bit player last year despite being a former five-star recruit, he figured to have a bigger role and played 19 minutes in Thursday night’s win over South Dakota State.
Tonight’s Menu
The action slows down just a bit for a day as football takes over and a couple of tournaments take a one-day break before finishing up.
- One event that continues is the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase in Nassau, and it starts with Morgan State taking on Milwaukee (11 a.m.), then Liberty battles Rice (5 p.m.)
- The Hall of Fame Tip-Off gets going with semifinal action at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. In the Naismith Bracket, Virginia takes on UMass (noon), followed by St. John’s battling Arizona State (2:30 p.m.). In the Springfield Bracket, Rider takes on Columbia (5 p.m.) and Vermont battles Central Connecticut (7:30 p.m.)
- The Paradise Jam has consolation round action with Grand Canyon playing Fordham (3 p.m.) and Illinois State taking on Western Kentucky in what should be a nice mid-major matchup (5 p.m.)
- Day two of the Bobcats Invitational at Quinnipiac features Sacred Heart taking on Albany (4 p.m.) and Presbyterian taking on the host school (6:30 p.m.)
- Boston College gets a tough test at home from undefeated DePaul, as does Syracuse with Bucknell coming to town (noon)
- With just one loss between the two teams, Memphis hosts Ole Miss in a good matchup (1 p.m.)
- Saint Francis U heads south to battle Florida State, while College of Charleston also heads south to visit UCF in what should be a couple of good ones (2 p.m.)
- Wichita State gets a visit from Oral Roberts, while a good local rivalry is on tap as Stony Brook goes to Wagner (3 p.m.)
- A couple of Ivy League teams hit the road for good ones as Yale goes to Penn State and Penn goes to Providence (4 p.m.)
- Belmont gets another road test as they head to Saint Louis (5 p.m.)
- A doubleheader in Orlando is on tap in the MAAC/A-Sun Challenge, with Iona playing Kennesaw State (6 p.m.) and Stetson taking on Monmouth (8:30 p.m.)
- Lehigh heads west to visit Saint Mary’s (8 p.m.)
- Closing the night out is SMU visiting UNLV (10:30 p.m.)
