AAC Basketball

Houston guard Jamal Shead is questionable to return to Friday's Sweet 16 contest against Duke after suffering a right ankle injury, the team announced at halftime.

The team later announced that X-rays were negative and Shead was diagnosed with a "badly sprained ankle."

Shead slipped on a layup and fell at 6:38 of the first half. He appeared to be in pain and had to be helped to the locker room.

Shead had two points on 1-for-5 shooting, with three assists and one rebound, prior to exiting the game.

His absence represents a significant loss for Houston's defense. Shead led the Cougars with 2.2 steals per game this season.

He already had two steals in the first 13 minutes of the contest.

Shead's right ankle was "retaped tight" in order to allow the consensus All-American to attempt to play in the second period, according to the team.

Shead was visibly limping as he led the Cougars out for the second half.

Backup guard Mylik Wilson took his place in the starting lineup to begin the half.

Wilson, who averaged 0.9 steals per game in 35 contests off the bench this season, is set to see more playing time if Shead misses any extended time from the lineup.

Houston is playing in the Sweet 16 three days after Shead was named a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award.

Shead has also been named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. He is a key reason the Cougars ranked third in college basketball by averaging a 16.4-point margin of victory this season, according to the school.

His early exit is yet more bad injury news for Houston. The team has already lost three players to season-ending injuries this season, including Terrance Arceneaux, Ramon Walker and another key defender in Joseph Tugler.

The Cougars are looking to earn their third trip to the Elite Eight since Shead's freshman season in 2021.

Shead was a crucial part of Houston's return to the Elite Eight in 2022 and their trip to the Sweet 16 last season. The Cougars' climb to the first national championship in program history will feel much steeper without him.

The Temple men's basketball program has reportedly been involved in a total of four games this season that "generated irregular betting patterns," according to The Athletic's Joe Vardon and Chris Vannini.

One of those games, Thursday's 100-72 against Alabama-Birmingham, was flagged by the gambling watchdog U.S. Integrity, which made national news after Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported that the agency alerted casinos regarding "unusual wagering activity."

Forde added that U.S. Integrity has been monitoring Temple basketball for "a while" and betting behavior before Thursday's game shifted the line from UAB being 1.5-point favorites that morning to eight-point favorites by the afternoon and eventually settling as seven-point favorites before the game began.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board later confirmed the reports that U.S. Integrity flagged that contest.

"We are aware of the social media posts regarding last night's men's basketball game," Temple said in a statement on Friday. "We will review the reports thoroughly in accordance with university and NCAA policies. While we can't comment any further at this time, we take this matter very seriously."

The Athletic's reporting uncovered three more games involving unusual betting patterns.

The first came on Feb. 8 against Memphis, with the Tigers moving from 6.5-point favorites about four hours to tipoff to 10.5-point favorites at the start of the contest due to a flood of money being wagered against the Owls.

The second came on Feb. 28 against Rice, with the total points line being bet down from 145 to 140.5 ahead of tip. The first-half point total also went from 68 to 64 the day of the game.

Finally, total points for Temple's March 2 matchup against Tulsa went from 144 to 136.5 in a two-hour span before tipoff, and the line for first-half points dropped from 68.5 to 62.5.

The Athletic reported that none of those games included any injury or suspension news that might have understandably and drastically altered betting patterns.

Both Fanatics Sportsbook and FanDuel have said they would be removing Temple's Sunday matchup against UT-San Antonio from their books.

At this juncture, no players or coaches have been implicated in the irregular betting patterns.

Thursday's men's basketball game between UAB and Temple generated the interest of gambling watchdog company U.S. Integrity.

Per Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, U.S. Integrity sent out an alert to casinos regarding "unusual wagering activity" leading up to tipoff between the AAC rivals.

"We are aware they flagged it," AAC men's basketball director of communications Tom Fenstermaker told Forde.

Forde noted the betting line moved "significantly" over the course of the day, with one casino shifting UAB from a favorite by 1.5 points in the morning to an eight-point favorite in the afternoon.

The line eventually settled at seven points before tipoff.

UAB went on to win the game 100-72. It was the first time the Blazers have hit the 100-point mark since Nov. 26, 2022, when they defeated Rhodes College 110-53.

Temple has lost back-to-back games after three consecutive victories. Forde noted this was also the second straight loss for the Owls in which they "did not come close" to covering the spread.

The Owls were favored by 5.5 points going into Saturday's home game Tulsa but were defeated 72-67. Tulsa started the contest on a 16-2 run and held on for the victory.

According to Forde, U.S. Integrity has been monitoring Temple games for "a while."

Temple has an 11-19 record overall and has lost 13 of 17 AAC games. The program is going to finish with a losing record for the first time since the 2020-21 season (5-11) that was only 16 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Integrity is employed by several college conferences around the country to monitor any gambling activity around member schools. It also provides education and consulting services to players and coaches about how wagering is tracked.

The gambling watchdog group most recently uncovered a gambling scandal involving Alabama baseball that resulted in head coach Brad Bohannon being fired by the program in May 2023.

Memphis center Malcolm Dandridge will be held out of action for the time being due to potential academic misconduct.

The school issued a statement on Saturday announcing Dandridge is being withheld "from competition until further notice" while it gathers and reviews information related to his eligibility:

Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported the issue stems from potential academic misconduct by Dandridge.

Memphis is currently in a three-year probation period in a September 2022 ruling from the Independent Accountability Resolution Process. The punishment stemmed from NCAA rules violations regarding James Wiseman's recruitment.

Hardaway wasn't disciplined from the investigation, nor was the program banned from participating in postseason tournaments.

The Tigers were also issued an additional year of probation in December 2022 stemming from recruiting violations that occurred during the 2021-22 academic year.

Memphis has made the NCAA tournament in each of the past two seasons, losing in the first two rounds both times. This year's team is currently 19-8 with four games remaining in the regular season, including Saturday's matchup with Florida Atlantic.

B/R's Kerry Miller doesn't have Memphis included in the 68-team field for the NCAA tournament in his most recent projection from Feb. 19.

Dandridge is in his fifth season at Memphis. He played high school basketball for Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway when he was in charge of the team from 2017-18 at East High School in Memphis.

After Hardaway was hired by the Tigers in March 2018, Dandridge joined him the following year. The 23-year-old has moved into the starting lineup this season after playing primarily off the bench in the previous four years.

Dandridge is averaging career-highs in points (8.0) and rebounds (5.0) per game in 27 appearances. His 19 starts are five more than he had in the previous four seasons combined.

Houston men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson was confused by his team being favored over No. 8 Kansas at home following the Cougars' 78-65 loss on Saturday.

"Someone told me we were favored in this game," Sampson said after the defeat, per reporter Jeff Goodman. "That's sacrilegious."

The Jayhawks have been dominant once again at Allen Fieldhouse during their 2023-24 season, owning a perfect 12-0 record at home after Saturday's victory.

Under legendary head coach Bill Self, Kansas has been nearly impossible to beat at home. Since Self took over the program in 2003, the Jayhawks own a record of 320-17 at Allen Fieldhouse. Their last home loss was in Jan. 2023, a surprising 83-60 defeat at the hands of TCU.

Despite Houston entering the contest as the No. 4-ranked team in the country, it's even more surprising that the Cougars were favored given the team's struggles on the road this season. Entering Saturday's action, both of Houston's losses in 2024 have come away from home. The Cougars barely escaped with a road win in their previous game, a narrow 76-72 victory over Texas in overtime on Monday.

Houston was unable to find any shooting rhythm as a team, as its 65 points scored was tied for the squad's third-lowest mark of the season. The Cougars shot just 36 percent from the field and 31 percent from behind the arc, routinely misfiring on lightly contested looks. It's evident that the Jayhawks crowd played a factor in the game, although Sampson was dismayed with his team's lack of energy.

"I told them I was disappointed in their effort," he said after the loss, per Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. "That's not who we are."

The Cougars will attempt to right the ship in their next game, a matchup with Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

Mercy Miller, a 4-star shooting guard out of Sherman Oaks, California's Notre Dame High School and the son of hip-hop artist and producer Master P, landed a $1.4 million NIL deal with Greek yogurt company Sweetkiwi, according to Slam.

Miller is considered the No. 91 overall player in the class of 2024, the No. 16 shooting guard and the No. 11 player from the state of California, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He is committed to Houston.

"I'm thrilled to partner with Sweetkiwi," he said in a press release. "Their focus on health and flavor mirrors my lifestyle on and off the court. I'm eager to introduce these fantastic products and our shared values to a wider audience."

Per that release, Sweetkiwi's "strategic partnership" with the young hooper highlights the company's "dedication to promoting healthy lifestyles among young athletes and sports enthusiasts."

"Having Miller as our brand ambassador is a perfect match," founder and CEO Ehime Eigbe said. "His dedication to health and wellness reflects our brand's mission. We're excited to collaborate with him and make a positive impact together."

Miller is having quite the season. Over the weekend, he put up 29 points in a 59-54 upset of Harvard-Westlake, the top-ranked team in California going into the contest. And in December, he scored a school-record 68 points in a 104-44 victory over Oakwood, shooting a ridiculous 28-of-38 from the field.

His father, Percy Miller—aka Master P—is most famous for his career in music. But he was a very good basketball player himself and even earned a preseason tryout with both the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in the late 1990s.

The scouting report on Master P was that he had a crafty, old-man-playing-pickup type of game and was an excellent shooter, but he didn't quite have the overall athleticism or burst to stick in the NBA. His son might end up living out those dreams, however.

Two months after reaching a plea deal in his gun charge related to an April 2023 arrest, Mikey Williams has found a new home to play college basketball.

Williams announced on Instagram he has committed to UCF after entering the transfer portal to leave Memphis earlier this week.

The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to a felony charge of making a criminal threat and a special allegation of using a firearm during the threat stemming from a shooting at his home on March 17.

Williams was facing nine felony counts and up to 30 years in prison before his plea deal. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said the situation began after an argument, with shots being fired at a car as it was leaving Williams' house. No one was injured.

As part of Williams' plea deal, he is required to complete 80 hours of community service and attend cognitive behavior therapy, gun safety and anger management classes. His felony charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor if he completes the terms of his plea agreement and has no new legal issues before an Aug. 12 sentencing hearing.

In a statement to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg on Thursday, Williams' attorney, Troy P. Owens, said his client made the decision to enter the transfer portal after Memphis indicated bringing him back was "not a priority" for the basketball team.

Owens also said the university committee reviewing Williams' situation was also deciding if he would be allowed to play for the Tigers during the 2024-25 season.

"This was not something that Mr. Williams even thought was up for discussion," Owens said. "This caused him to take immediate action to protect the prospect of him playing collegiate basketball in the 2024-2025 season."

Williams was a 4-star prospect and the No. 10 combo guard in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He signed a letter of intent with the University of Memphis in November 2022.

The last unbeaten team in the nation fell on Tuesday night in a surprising upset.

No. 2 Houston suffered a 57-53 loss to unranked Iowa State in a road matchup. The loss dropped the Cougars' record to 14-1 this season.

Iowa State was coming off a 71-63 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday, which snapped a six-game win streak. That loss apparently fueled the Cyclones, as they blitzed the Cougars right from the opening tip.

Iowa State opened Tuesday's game with 14 unanswered points and never looked back. The Cyclones led by 12 and took a 31-21 lead into halftime. Houston managed to tie the game at 41 and again at 53, but Iowa State remained poised enough to secure the win. Milan Momcilovic hit the go-ahead jumper with 31 seconds left and then sealed the game with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

Tamin Lipsey led the Cyclones with 14 points while Momcilovic added 11 points. They overcame a 20-point performance by Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with Houston shooting 38.0 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from three-point range while Iowa State shot 38.3 percent overall and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc. However, the Cyclones earned 22 attempts from the free-throw line and made 18 of them, while the Cougars got to the line just 12 times.

Houston will look to bounce back on Saturday in a road matchup against TCU. Iowa State will return to action that same day at home against Oklahoma State.

Memphis guard Mikey Williams is entering the transfer portal, according to 247Sports' Eric Bossi.

Williams was the No. 51 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2023 recruiting class.

The true freshman has yet to suit up for the Tigers after he was arrested last April in connection to a March shooting that took place in Southern California. In November, he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of making criminal threats.

While it looked like the development would help set the stage for Williams' Memphis debut, the Commercial Appeal's Jason Munz reported on Dec. 2 the school "will soon begin the process of sorting through the full scope of the latest circumstances."

Head coach Penny Hardaway admitted he was "not sure on that," when it came to the possibility of the 19-year-old playing at all this season.

"You know, obviously, you know, Mikey's a part of our team," he said, per Munz. "I just have to get back with the AD. His status hasn't changed, as of yet, with the school. I have to get with the AD and, you know, talk about it."

Entering the portal doesn't guarantee Williams' Memphis career is already over, but the situation is trending that way. If nothing else, making this decision now would seemingly reflect a slim likelihood of him playing in 2023-24 even if he returns to the Tigers.

Memphis basketball signee Mikey Williams pleaded guilty to one count of making criminal threats in connection to a March shooting, according to Amber Coakley of Fox 5 San Diego.

As part of his plea, Williams has to complete courses on gun safety and anger management before he's due in court again on Aug. 12, 2024, to be sentenced. Doing so can see his charge reduced to a misdemeanor.

Authorities in San Diego County arrested Williams in April after receiving a report of a shooting outside his home on March 27. There had allegedly been an argument, which prompted a group of five people to leave. Police said multiple gunshots were fired at the group's car as it was driving away.

Williams was initially charged with five counts of assault with a weapon and one count of firing into an occupied vehicle, with prosecutors filing three more charges in October. He pleaded not guilty when the charges were first levied in April.

Williams was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school and the No. 51 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2023 class.

The 19-year-old has enrolled in classes at Memphis and is listed on the Tigers' official roster. The school said in September, however, he would remain away from the team and wouldn't have access to the basketball facilities until his legal proceedings concluded.

Memphis is 5-1 to open the 2023-24 season.