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Arizona's Caleb Love Called Out by CBB Fans After Clemson's Stunning Sweet 16 Upset

Mar 29, 2024
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Caleb Love #2 of the Arizona Wildcats dribbles the ball up during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Crypto.com Arena on March 28, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Caleb Love #2 of the Arizona Wildcats dribbles the ball up during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Crypto.com Arena on March 28, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Arizona's NCAA Tournament run has come to an end earlier than expected.

The No. 2-seeded Wildcats were upset by the No. 6-seeded Clemson Tigers 77-72 on Thursday in the Sweet 16. It marks the program's second Sweet 16 exit in the last three years.

Wildcats guard Caleb Love failed to rise to the occasion in what was a disappointing performance as he finished with just 13 points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals. He went 5-of-18 from the floor and 0-for-9 from deep.

After the game, Love was slammed by college basketball fans for not elevating his game when the Wildcats needed it most:

https://twitter.com/wakeuptrace/status/1773511950049182142

Love spent the first three seasons of his college career at North Carolina before transferring to Arizona ahead of the 2023-24 season.

His performance throughout the year was a big reason why the Wildcats secured a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but now they have nothing left to show for their efforts following Thursday's loss.

While Arizona heads home, Clemson is moving on to the Elite Eight and will face the winner of Thursday's game between No. 1-seeded North Carolina and No. 4-seeded Alabama.

Kyle Smith, Stanford Agree to HC Contract After WSU's NCAA Tournament Bid

Mar 25, 2024
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Head coach Kyle Smith of the Washington State Cougars signals to his team in the second half of a quarterfinal game against the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars defeated the Cardinal 79-62. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Head coach Kyle Smith of the Washington State Cougars signals to his team in the second half of a quarterfinal game against the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars defeated the Cardinal 79-62. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

Stanford announced Monday it's hiring Kyle Smith from Washington State to be its next men's basketball coach.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello first reported the move.

Smith spent the past five seasons with the Cougars and leaves on the heels of his best year at the school. Washington State went 25-10 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008.

"The opportunity to serve as the head men's basketball coach at Stanford is a dream come true, and I want to thank Bernard Muir for entrusting me with this opportunity," Smith said in the announcement. "From my perspective, Stanford has the resources and reputation to attract the ideal student-athlete who is seeking the character development aspects of what our basketball program will offer.

"Stanford has the capacity to provide a place where student-athletes can hone their leadership skills and intellect through hard work and team building. I am thrilled to try to provide that type of culture for an institution that prides itself on excellence in all areas."

Stanford is a slight step up in terms of a prestige because the Cardinal were an NCAA tournament mainstay under Mike Montgomery. The dissolution of the Pac-12 may have played a role in Smith's decision as well

Leaving the Pac-12 for the ACC might be a case of going out of the frying pan into the fire with the turmoil that's bubbling to the surface in the ACC. That still represents more stability than Washington State is facing conference-wise.

Smith inherits a major rebuilding job with the Cardinal, though.

In the 20 years since Montgomery left, Stanford has made the NCAA tournament just four times and the last of those trips came all the way back in 2014. Jerod Haase, Smith's predecessor, posted a .498 winning percentage during his eight-year run.

The Cardinal simply don't occupy the same place within men's basketball they did 20-plus years ago, and now they're entering what has historically been a better, tougher conference. That's not an ideal recipe for a new head coach.

Smith has delivered results at each of his first three stops, though, steadily turning Columbia into a winner before notching 63 victories over three seasons at San Francisco.

Stanford promises to be his biggest challenge yet given both the school's impending move to the ACC and what will probably be reasonably high expectations.

NBA Champion Metta World Peace Says Bronny James Could Have NBA All-Star Potential

Mar 24, 2024
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Bronny James #6 of the USC Trojans looks on in the second half of a quarterfinal game against the Arizona Wildcats during the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats defeated the Trojans 70-49. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Bronny James #6 of the USC Trojans looks on in the second half of a quarterfinal game against the Arizona Wildcats during the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats defeated the Trojans 70-49. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

Former NBA star Metta World Peace remains bullish on Bronny James' potential at the next level despite his disappointing freshman season at USC.

World Peace told TMZ Sports that James "has a shot to be a really good point guard" and perhaps even an All-Star in the NBA. The 2010 champion isn't reading much into the 6'4" guard's struggles early into his Trojans tenure.

James never seemed to find his footing this year after suffering cardiac arrest during the offseason, which delayed his college debut until mid-December. He appeared in 25 games and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

In the earliest versions of 2024 NBA mock drafts, well before the 2023-24 season tipped off, some wondered whether James might be a first-round or perhaps even a lottery pick. Now, staying at USC and delaying his pro dreams looks like it could be his best path forward.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman omitted James from his most recent mock draft and provided a wider evaluation of his game and draft outlook. He said a team might be tempted by James' potential as a three-and-D guard along with the chance of landing Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as a package deal.

"However, his scoring inefficiency has raised questions about his ability to create, finish in the half court and hit jumpers consistently," Wasserman wrote. "He hasn't demonstrated any single, convincing skill for scoring at the next level. And teams might not believe James' defense and passing IQ are enough to justify NBA minutes."

Maybe James' NBA ceiling is still very high, much higher than he has shown so far at USC. Returning to the Trojans would allow him to prove just that.

Creighton's 2OT Win over Oregon Hyped as Best Game of March Madness by CBB Fans

Mar 24, 2024
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 23: head coach Greg McDermott of the Creighton Bluejays talks with Trey Alexander #23 in the first half of the game against the Oregon Ducks during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 23, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 23: head coach Greg McDermott of the Creighton Bluejays talks with Trey Alexander #23 in the first half of the game against the Oregon Ducks during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 23, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Creighton and Oregon delivered arguably the best game of the NCAA tournament so far on Saturday night.

The No. 3 Bluejays held on in double overtime to beat the No. 11 Ducks 86-73 to advance to the Sweet 16 where they will face No. 2 Tennessee. The score was lopsided in the end, but the game was one of the best through the first two rounds of the tournament.

Creighton had four players in double figures, with Steven Ashworth leading the way with 21 points. Of Ashworth's 21 points, 10 came in overtime. Guard Trey Alexander had 21 points and big man Ryan Kalkbrenner added 19 points and 14 boards.

On Oregon's side, Jermaine Couisnard and N'Faly Dante put together huge games. Coisnard had 32 points and Dante had 28 points and 20 rebounds. Their efforts fell short as Creighton slipped away in overtime.

The double-overtime thriller had fans declaring Saturday night's Round of 32 matchup as the best game of the tournament so far.

Now, Creighton will head to its third Sweet 16 in the last four seasons. The Bluejays reached the Elite Eight and were one possession away from the Final Four a year ago, and last year's loss will certainly continue to be fuel for them.

KJ Simpson's GW Shot Reminds Fans of Kawhi as Colorado Beats Florida in March Madness

Mar 22, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 22: KJ Simpson #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes celebrates with his teammates after hitting the game winning shot to defeat the Florida Gators in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 22, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 22: KJ Simpson #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes celebrates with his teammates after hitting the game winning shot to defeat the Florida Gators in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 22, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

An epic game winner in March Madness had quite the resemblance to a legendary game winner in the NBA postseason.

10-seed Colorado took down seven-seed Florida 102-100 in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball via a successful two-pointer from K.J. Simpson that took its time along the rim before going through the hoop.

Simpson delivers the dagger after receiving the inbounds pass and it takes one large bounce and then several small caroms before finally settling into the netting and giving Colorado the lead.

The shot had some eerie similarities to Kawhi Leonard's game winning shot for the Toronto Raptors against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChT3ewZXTfM

Simpson's shot didn't jump quite as high as Leonard's shot but it had a similar sense of anticipation. Play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan was also notably on both games and had a similarly epic call to Leonard's legendary shot.

Fans took to social media to praise Colorado for the epic moment during the tournament and pointed out how similar it was to the Leonard make.

Fans, including Rob Gronkowski and Joe Haden, also praised the Buffaloes for providing an entertaining victory and a highlight that will be replayed many times in the future.

https://twitter.com/Rumblinbuffalo/status/1771310743322865749

The Buffaloes win its second game of the tournament, as it took out Boise State in a first-four matchup on Wednesday. Colorado will now look to roll once again against two-seed Marquette, who entered halftime of its first round matchup against Western Kentucky down 43-36 before finally pulling ahead to win.

Jermaine Couisnard Scores 40, Wows March Madness Fans as Oregon Upsets South Carolina

Mar 21, 2024
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 21: Jermaine Couisnard #5 celebrates with Brennan Rigsby #4 of the Oregon Ducks in the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 21: Jermaine Couisnard #5 celebrates with Brennan Rigsby #4 of the Oregon Ducks in the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Jermaine Couisnard, who played the first three seasons of his career at South Carolina before transferring to Oregon in 2022, showed no mercy to his former team during Thursday's first round of the NCAA tournament.

Couisnard scored 40 points as No. 11 Oregon completed an 87-73 upset of No. 6 South Carolina.

He is the first player in Oregon program history to record 40 points in a single NCAA tournament game.

Cousinard finished the afternoon having shot 14-for-22 from the field and 5-for-9 from behind the arc. He added four rebounds, six assists, a steal and a takeaway.

Center N'Faly Dante added 23 points in Oregon's victory.

Dante previously helped the Ducks earn an NCAA tournament bid with his performance during Oregon's Pac-12 tournament victory on March 16, when he shot 12-for-12 for a career-high 25 points.

Oregon is now set to face No. 3 Creighton after the Bluejays dispatched No. 14 Akron in their own Thursday first round matchup.

The Ducks and Bluejays will face off Saturday for a ticket to the Sweet 16. The game time has yet to be determined.

Caleb Love, Arizona Dazzle CBB Fans in Blowout March Madness Win vs. Long Beach State

Mar 21, 2024
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 21: Messiah Thompson #4 of the Long Beach State 49ers defends against Caleb Love #2 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Delta Center on March 21, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 21: Messiah Thompson #4 of the Long Beach State 49ers defends against Caleb Love #2 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Delta Center on March 21, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

A balanced scoring attack and a shutdown defense in the second half propelled No. 2 seed Arizona to an 85-65 win over No. 15 Long Beach State in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska.

LBSU led 35-34 with two-and-a-half minutes left in the first half after a Aboubacar Traore layup. Arizona then rolled off a 24-2 run to give itself a 58-37 advantage at the second-half under-16 timeout. The Wildcats cruised to victory from there.

All five Wildcat starters scored in double digits, led by Kylan Boswell's 20. He also added a team-high eight assists. Caleb Love contributed an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double to go along with five assists and two steals. Oumar Ballo posted an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Arizona finished with more than twice as many assists (19) than turnovers (nine). The Wildcats also had 10 steals and eight blocks. In addition, their 13 three-pointers set a school record in the NCAA tournament.

Needless to say, Arizona authored an impressive second-half performance en route to the comfortable victory.

Arizona will now play the winner of No. 7 seed Dayton and No. 10 seed Nevada in the second round on Saturday.

Sign up to Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge, Tournament Run, and Conference Tournament Pick Em.

CBB Fans Praise Colorado for Beating Boise State in March Madness; Will Face Florida

Mar 21, 2024
DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 20: Tristan da Silva #23 of the Colorado Buffaloes drives to the basket as Tyson Degenhart #2 of the Boise State Broncos defends during the First Four round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2024 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 20: Tristan da Silva #23 of the Colorado Buffaloes drives to the basket as Tyson Degenhart #2 of the Boise State Broncos defends during the First Four round of the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2024 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Tristan da Silva scored 20 points and KJ Simpson added a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double to give Colorado a 60-53 win over Boise State to cap the First Four action in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Colorado's late 11-0 run, which turned a 49-45 deficit into a 56-49 lead, put this game away.

Da Silva kicked it off with a three-pointer shortly before the under-four timeout. Simpson also scored eight more points down the stretch. The play of this run, though, was courtesy of Eddie Lampkin Jr., whose shot clock-beating putback gave Colorado a 54-49 edge with 33 seconds remaining.

Colorado withstood a tremendous rebounding performance from Boise State, which grabbed 41 boards to the Buffaloes' 30. The Broncos also snatched 19 offensive rebounds.

However, Colorado's defense (and Boise State's rough shooting night) led to the Buffaloes' win. Boise State shot just 34.8 percent from the field and made only 2-of-17 three-pointers. The Broncos also went 4:10 without scoring during the Buffaloes' aforementioned 11-0 run.

Chibuzo Agbo led Boise State with 17 points, while Roddie Anderson III added 13.

The First Four is now over, meaning March Madness is ready to get going in earnest. Before then, though, fans and analysts praised Colorado's players and head coach Tad Boyle.

Now Colorado, a No. 10 seed, has moved onto the first round to play No. 7 Florida Gators. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday in Indianapolis.

Sign up to Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge, Tournament Run, and Conference Tournament Pick Em.

Joson Sanon, 5-Star SF Prospect, Commits to Arizona over Kansas, Kentucky, More

Mar 20, 2024
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 05: Joson Sanon dribbles up the court during the Pangos All-American Camp on June 5, 2023 at the Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 05: Joson Sanon dribbles up the court during the Pangos All-American Camp on June 5, 2023 at the Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Five-star prospect Joson Sanon is headed to Arizona.

Sanon, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft, told ESPN's Jonathan Givony that he has committed to Arizona and plans to reclassify to 2024.

He chose the Wildcats over a list of schools that included Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Louisville and Indiana.

"I'm going to Arizona," Sanon said Wednesday. "I love the fit, the way they score, how they get you open. They play at a fast pace, and being in the center of a high-powered offense was attractive. I wanted to get locked in before things really get going with the transfer portal."

Sanon is the No. 11 ranked prospect and the No. 2 ranked small forward in the class of 2025, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The Vermont Academy product told Givony that he intends to graduate high school this summer and reclassify to the 2024 prospect class, which is highlighted by Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.

Sanon recently helped his high school team win the NEPSAC AAA championship, and accomplishing the feat helped him make his decision to reclassify.

"I had a couple of benchmarks for this season that would help me decide if I'm ready to graduate high school early," Sanon said. "I wanted to win a championship, lead a team, be a primary scorer, and really lock in defensively. I'm physically strong enough for college. The next step is learning how to think the game better and adding to what I already do."

Arizona's 2024 recruiting class also includes four-star prospects in Carter Bryant (SF), Jamari Phillips (SG) and Emmanuel Stephen (C).

The Wildcats went 25-8 this season and enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed in the West region. They begin their tournament run on Thursday against No. 15 Long Beach State.

While Arizona is "expected to retain much of its young core" heading into 2024, the program is "likely" to lose Pelle Larsson, Keshad Johnson, Ousmar Ballo and Caleb Love, according to Givony.

Sanon's commitment will help the program recoup some of the talent that could be lost.

Peja Stojaković's Son Andrej Enters Transfer Portal After 1 Season at Stanford

Mar 18, 2024
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 14: Stanford Cardinal guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) dribbles up the court during the quarterfinal game of the men's Pac-12 Tournament between the Stanford Cardinal and the Washington State Cougars on March 14, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 14: Stanford Cardinal guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) dribbles up the court during the quarterfinal game of the men's Pac-12 Tournament between the Stanford Cardinal and the Washington State Cougars on March 14, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Andrej Stojaković, son of former NBA player Peja Stojaković, is leaving Stanford after one season.

Stojaković told Joe Tipton of On3Sports.com he intends to enter the transfer portal.

Stanford fired head coach Jerod Haase on March 14, almost immediately after the team's 79-62 loss to Washington State in the Pac-12 tournament. The Cardinal finished this season with a 14-18 record.

Haase went 126-127 with no NCAA tournament appearances in eight seasons at Stanford. The 49-year-old was hired by the program in March 2016 after leading UAB to back-to-back 20-win seasons, including an NCAA tournament appearance during the 2014-15 campaign.

Stojaković was a 5-star recruit and No. 25 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports.com. The 19-year-old announced his commitment to Stanford in November 2022.

"I ultimately chose Stanford because in my eyes it wasn't just the best basketball decision for me but it was also the best academic, long-term decision of the four," he said at the time. "I believe in the whole program from top to bottom and the whole coaching staff and their philosophy."

Oregon, UCLA and Texas were the other finalists when Stojaković made his original decision coming out of high school. It's unclear at this point if any of those teams will be in the mix to land him in the transfer portal.

Stojaković appeared in all 32 Cardinal games this season, including 10 starts. He averaged 7.8 points on 40.9 percent shooting and 3.4 rebounds per contest.

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