The 6-foot-8 Washington was clearly seen on tape slapping Monmouth’s Chris Brady after the Hawks’ 110-102 victory at Iona. Something happened during the handshake line and suddenly there was pushing and shoving between the teams during which Washington reached out and made contact with Brady’s face.

Washington, second on the team in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (6.1), will miss Sunday’s game at Rider and Friday night’s home game with Saint Peter’s.

The teams play again Feb. 19 at Monmouth.

The post Iona's suspends Washington 2 games for slap appeared first on IdealCapper.

The Nittany Lions turned their long-range shooting woes around Saturday night. And they defeated Northwestern at its own typically strong 3-point shooting game.

Brandon Taylor scored 19 points and Donovon Jack had 14 as Penn State beat Northwestern 71-62.

Payton Banks added 10 for the Nittany Lions, who shot 9 for 21 from 3-point range.

”We made threes, which we haven’t done, and they missed threes,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. ”Sometimes in this league, this bizarre league that we’re in, that’s what determines the outcome.”

Tre Demps had 22 points and Bryant McIntosh and Dererk Pardon added 12 apiece for Northwestern. The Wildcats shot 39 percent from the field and saw their postseason hopes take a hit with a loss to a team in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings. Northwestern (15-4, 3-3) has never reached the NCAA tournament.

The Nittany Lions (11-8, 2-4) had lost four of five and were coming off losses to No. 4 Michigan State and No. 24 Purdue. Penn State entered the game shooting 29.6 percent on 3-pointers, last in the conference.

”The 3s we hit were very big,” Taylor said. ”That’s something we’ve been working on, getting in the gym and working on shooting.”

Meanwhile, the Wildcats shot 3 of 26 from beyond the arc against the zone.

”The adjustment of playing bigger helped us,” Chambers said. ”Defensively, it makes us longer so we’re able to be there and disrupt and make great 3-point shooters uncomfortable.”

Northwestern had won two straight and 12 of 14. The Wildcats entered the game making 9.1 3-pointers per game on average and are 8-0 when making 10 or more shots from beyond the arc.

”We weren’t very aggressive,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. ”When you continue to play like that your defense disintegrates.”

Jack completed a 3-point play with 15:23 left for a 38-27 Penn State lead. Shep Garner and Taylor each nailed a 3 to extend the lead to 48-31.

Demps then hit Northwestern’s first 3-pointer with 10:21 remaining to snap the Wildcats’ 0-for-17 skid from beyond the arc. But Jordan Dickerson answered on the other end with a dunk to keep Penn State ahead 50-34. Jack hit a layup to give the Nittany Lions their largest lead at 18.

Northwestern went on an 8-0 run to pull within nine before Penn State made 14 of 18 free throws.

McIntosh was held under his team-leading 16.1 points per game. He shot 6-of-15 from the field. Demps shot 9 of 20.

”We’ve shot a lot more poorly at home,” Collins said. ”I don’t know if the guys are overanxious or putting a little bit of extra pressure on themselves. I feel like we shoot more freely on the road.”

STEPPING UP

Jack, a 6-foot-9 forward, registered career highs in points (14) and rebounds (nine). He was averaging 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds. He scored his previous career high of 12 against Purdue in his last game.

”I was finding gaps, open spots,” Jack said. ”You’ve got to keep moving. My teammates were finding me.”

OLAH BACK

C Alex Olah (foot) returned to action Saturday after missing six straight games. He finished with five points and two rebounds in seven minutes. Collins said Olah had no minutes restriction, but he wanted to see Olah play 10 minutes.

TIP-INS

Penn State: Freshman G Josh Reaves was sidelined for the second consecutive game due to mononucleosis. He is expected to miss several games. Reaves is averaging 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds and is second on the team for steals, assists and blocks. . The Nittany Lions led the all-time series against Northwestern 29-16 and 13-10 in Evanston.

Northwestern: McIntosh scored 28 points in the Wildcats’ last game, a 70-65 victory over Wisconsin. . Northwestern was outrebounded 42-34. The Wildcats had outrebounded 10 of its previous 11 opponents.

UP NEXT

Penn State: Hosts Wisconsin on Thursday.

Northwestern: At No. 3 Maryland on Tuesday

The post Penn State defeats Northwestern 71-62 appeared first on IdealCapper.

Anthony Johnson scored 16, on 6-of-10 shooting, while Jordan Wilson and Jordan Davis added 10 points apiece for Northern Colorado.

Wilson’s third 3-pointer put the Bears (5-13, 2-4 Big Sky Conference) up 76-72 with 1:37 to play.

Montana State’s Tyler Hall was fouled as he hit a 3 and converted the 4-point play to tie the game with 38 seconds left.

Verhagen made the go-ahead free throws 11 seconds later and Montana State (7-11, 2-4) missed two potential tying shots in the waning seconds.

Tyler Hall led the Bobcats with 22 points, including five 3-pointers. Marcus Colbert added 19 while Stephan Holm and Sarp Gobeloglu scored 11 apiece.

The post Anglin scores 20, Northern Colorado tops Montana State 78-76 appeared first on IdealCapper.

Coach Larry Brown said Friday that the 2013 McDonald’s All-American ”wanted a fresh start” after taking time away from the program to consider his future.

The 10th-ranked Mustangs (16-0) are the only remaining undefeated Division I team, more than halfway through a schedule that can’t go beyond the regular season. SMU will miss the NCAA Tournament a year after making its first appearance since 1993.

Frazier’s online course work before he enrolled at SMU was part of an NCAA investigation that led to sanctions last fall, including Brown’s nine-game suspension to start the season.

”He told me he wanted a fresh start, and since Day One since he got here, I told him that we’ll always be there to support him,” Brown said about Frazier, who missed the past four games. ”He’s always going to be a part of our family, and whatever is best for him is best for us.”

Frazier has two options at a new school. He can play part of next season after skipping the fall semester, or he can sit out a year and play the entire 2017-18 season.

Frazier averaged 11.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in the 10 games this season. He averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17 games last season before being declared academically ineligible after the winter break.

Brown said Frazier was eligible when he decided to take time away from the team.

While the coach never offered details on Frazier’s hiatus, former Kimball High School coach Royce Johnson told The Dallas Morning News that Frazier was struggling emotionally with issues regarding the NCAA sanctions against SMU.

”I’m always going to be close to him,” Brown said. ”I’m never going to stop supporting him. I hope that’s the way we are with all our kids. It’s never an easy thing for anybody.”

The Mustangs visit Tulane on Sunday before returning home to face Houston on Tuesday.

”We’re moving on,” Brown said. ”I’ve got a bunch of kids in that room that I think we’ve got to focus our attention to and hopefully this turns out great for Keith.”

The post SMU player caught up in sanctions plans to transfer appeared first on IdealCapper.

The Irish, who went on to win the ACC title last year, were overwhelmed by the fans at Cameron Indoor Arena and the Blue Devils, blown out 90-60 in Notre Dame’s worst loss since 1999. Duke took control with a 43-7 run in the first half and Notre Dame’s two leaders, Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton, had no idea what to say.

”They were shell shocked,” Brey said. ”It was the only time all year those two guys were shell shocked. I loved how Demetrius kind of took the baton, so to speak. I think the rest of the season his voice was more noticeable and more respected.”

Jackson heads into Saturday’s game at No. 9 Duke (14-3, 3-1 ACC) as the unquestioned leader for the Irish (11-5, 2-2). He leads the Irish and is fifth in the league in scoring at 17.1 points a game and is second in the league at 5.44 assists per game.

The 6-foot-1, 201-pound junior is still adjusting to his new role of being the first scoring option and the playmaker.

”He’s still developing on that front,” Brey said. ”It’s an area of, `When do I need to go get mine? When do I need to be a playmaker?”’

Jackson said he just tries to do whatever he can to help. He said he’s just as happy playmaking as he is scoring.

”On nights when my shot’s not going in, I’m still trying to help the team win by rebounding, assisting, playing defense and leading with my voice,” he said. ”Whatever it is the team requires from me, I try to do that.”

Jackson showed that Wednesday night in a 72-64 victory over Georgia Tech. He shot just 2 of 11 from the floor, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range, but was 13 of 14 from the free-throw line to finish with 18 points. He also had nine rebounds and eight assists as he came close to becoming just the second Irish player to post a triple-double.

Teammates say Jackson leads by working hard in practices – even though he plays nearly 36 minutes a game – and through his words.

”Talking to us, criticizing us, telling us what we’re doing wrong or telling us what we’ve done right,” forward V.J. Beachem said. ”He’ll tap us, let us know, `Hey, I need you right now,’ or `Nice shot down there. Now let’s lock down on defense.”’

Jackson said his message to the younger players heading into Duke for the first time is to remain calm. Jackson and Brey, who served eight years as an assistant to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski , both said they don’t want to talk too much to the younger players about what it’s like playing at Duke.

”I don’t want to over discuss it because I don’t want to make it too big,” Brey said.

Brey said he hopes Notre Dame’s veteran players are better prepared last year.

”I would hope now that this nucleus has been in that atmosphere, they won’t be as wide-eyed,” Brey said. ”I would hope they’re more able to handle it because they’ve experienced it.”

The post Playmaker Jackson adjusts to role as Notre Dame's go-to guy appeared first on IdealCapper.

Iowa State’s surprising 1-3 start in league play has put it in a precarious spot heading into Saturday’s road game at Kansas State (11-5, 1-3 Big 12).

The Cyclones (12-4) are already three games behind league-leading West Virginia, and two behind No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Oklahoma.

A loss to the Wildcats might prove to be a fatal blow to their title hopes.

”I’ve been through this same situation before. Obviously it’s a different city, different state, different team,” first-year Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said. ”If you don’t have great kids, you can’t get through it. But we’ve got great kids…we’ve got character and we’ve got talent. So we’ll get through.”

The Cyclones shaky start in the Big 12 can be traced largely to a lack of both defense and depth.

Iowa State still hasn’t lost its ability to score with ease. But the Cyclones, who insisted they would focus more heavily on defense under Prohm, have let opponents get way too comfortable at times.

Iowa State let Baylor score 60 points in the second half, blowing an 11-point lead in the final 14 minutes of a 94-89 home loss last week. The Cyclones gave Texas a ton of open looks Tuesday and the Longhorns won 94-91 in overtime after hitting 13 3-pointers.

Iowa State allows 75 points per game and an opponent field-goal percentage of 43.3 – both worst in the Big 12.

”There’s a bunch of words I can use for that one,” star Georges Niang said when asked about Iowa State’s defensive identity. ”We lost it. I think we’re working to get that back.”

Still, one of the biggest culprits of bad defense is tired legs – and no team in the country pushes its starters more than the Cyclones.

Iowa State is essentially using just seven players after senior Naz Mitrou-Long decided in December to sit out the rest of the season because his hips hadn’t healed from off-season surgery.

The Cyclones are currently the only team in the country with five starters all averaging at least 29 minutes a game, according to STATS. The cumulative minutes played for Iowa State’s starting five, 163.4 out of 200 per game, are also first among Power Five schools.

Prohm – who has already cut back on working his top players much beyond an hour in practice – said Thursday that he expects reserves Deonte Burton and Hallice Cooke to get more minutes in the weeks ahead.

”I think (you have to be) smart about their bodies,” Prohm said. ”We’ll be a little bit smarter and sharper about that. We’ll get these guys rest. They’re experienced. They’ll be game ready.”

The conventional notion for winning the Big 12 regular-season title has been for teams to sweep their nine league home games and go 5-4 on the road. If Iowa State falls to the Wildcats, it would need to win its final 13 games – including trips to Kansas, West Virginia and Baylor and Monday’s home game with Oklahoma – just to reach 14-4 in Big 12 play.

It’s not impossible for a team as talented as the Cyclones to make such a run.

But they’ll need fresher legs and more defensive stops if they hope to make that happen.

”This isn’t the first (measure) of adversity we’ve faced. We’re ready to fight back and keep climbing. There are no quitters in this locker room,” Niang said. People ”are going to be in for a surprise.”

—

Follow Luke Meredith on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LukeMeredithAP

The post Iowa State in Big 12 trouble after 1-3 start in league play appeared first on IdealCapper.

And LSU versatile freshman Ben Simmons has been putting up big numbers all along.

Hard to believe, but this week marks two months since the season’s tipoff. But now that college football is over and more fans will turn their attention to college hoops, here’s a look at some of the top individual performances this season and a glimpse of some possible highlights lurking around the corner:

—

DENZEL VALENTINE, MICHIGAN STATE

The 6-foot-5 senior had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 79-73 win against current No. 1 Kansas in the Spartans’ second game on Nov. 17. That allowed him to join program great Magic Johnson as the only players ever to post a triple-double against the Jayhawks.

The performance was a sign that Valentine was a candidate for national player of the year for a team that made a quick climb from No. 13 in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 to No. 1 by early December.

—

A.J. ENGLISH, IONA

English had a half straight out of a video game against Fairfield on Dec. 1.

The 6-4 senior scored 32 of his 46 points after halftime, going 11 for 15 from the field and 9 for 10 from 3-point range to help the Gaels turn a four-point edge into a 101-77 win.

English ended up tying the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s single-game scoring record set in 1985 and also set a league record with 13 3s, while the 46 points were tied for the most in Division I this year through Monday’s games, according to STATS.

—

KAY FELDER, OAKLAND

Felder, the Horizon League’s preseason player of the year, put on a two-game show in December.

The 5-9 junior had 38 points and nine assists in a 97-83 win at Washington on Dec. 19, the program’s first road win against a power-5 opponent in five years. Three days later, he terrorized then-No. 1 Michigan State with 37 points – including two free throws with 4.9 seconds left to force overtime – and nine assists in a 99-93 loss at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Seventy-two hours, 75 points.

”He looked like one of the best players I ever saw play here, and I said ever,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said afterward, ”and I’ve watched a lot of pro games here.”

—

BEN SIMMONS, LSU

The AP preseason all-American wasn’t fazed by his first Southeastern Conference game at Vanderbilt.

The 6-10 rookie finished with 36 points and 14 rebounds to go with four assists in the 90-82 win on Jan. 2. He finished an efficient 10 for 15 from the field while getting to the foul line 19 times, a terrific performance in a season filled with them.

”I’m not really worried about what everyone says,” Simmons said afterward. ”I know what I can be and who I can be as a player. So I’m going to do that.”

—

BRICE JOHNSON, NORTH CAROLINA

Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams has used tough love to push the lean 6-10 senior for more. Johnson’s showing at Florida State on Jan. 4 illustrated why.

Johnson had career highs of 39 points and 23 rebounds in the 106-90 win, with his 23 rebounds tied for the most in Division I through Monday’s games, according to STATS.

Johnson – whose 28 second-half points surpassed his previous game high of 27 – became the first UNC player in 40 years and the fifth ever to have a 30-20 game.

”That was a man’s night,” Williams said, calling the performance ”about as good as any I’ve ever seen. Particularly on the road.”

—

BUDDY HIELD, OKLAHOMA

The preseason AP All-American was unstoppable in a 1-vs-2 triple-overtime classic.

The 6-4 senior guard finished with 46 points on 13-for-23 shooting and eight 3s for the No. 2 Sooners at Kansas on Jan. 4. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists in a school-record 54 minutes in the 109-106 loss.

His 46 points were the most by an Oklahoma player since the 1990-91 season. But he also lamented two late turnovers that tipped the balance in the season’s top game.

”I wish I had one more overtime,” he said that night. ”I just hate losing.”

—

Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the AP’s college basketball site at http://collegebasketball.ap.org

The post Valentine, Hield headline top games in college hoops so far appeared first on IdealCapper.

Players will be allowed to enter the draft multiple times and participate in the combine and one NBA team tryout per year. They also will be allowed up to 10 days to withdraw from the draft after the combine.

The changes, which take effect immediately, were designed to help players make better decisions on their future and keep those who find out they’re not ready for the NBA on track for graduation.

NCAA officials said the rule changes were offered after collaboration between the NCAA, NBA and that National Association of Basketball Coaches.

”It’s really significant for guys who are going to get a better idea on where they stand,” Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. ”(Some) come out early and it doesn’t work out for them. All of a sudden, they’re 25 or 26 years old with no career.”

The changes could impact college recruiting if college coaches must wait longer each year to evaluate their future rosters.

Since 2009, players have been required to remove their name from the draft the day before the spring signing period in April. Now coaches will have to wait until late May to know what a player is going to do.

Kansas coach Bill Self said the change was needed to help the athletes.

”This legislation, with help from the NBA, will allow student-athletes the opportunity to make informed decisions on their true status as a draft prospect” before forfeiting their collegiate eligibility,” Self said in a statement released by the NCAA.

The post Rule change to help underclassmen get NBA evaluations appeared first on IdealCapper.

No more fields of 100 yards. It’s now courts of 94 feet.

The only thing basketball and football have in common is a 3-point field goal.

The 2015-16 season has been underway for two months and if you’ve been paying attention elsewhere, here’s a quick look at what you missed and what you can expect for the next two months as we head to Houston for the Final Four.

No. 1s

North Carolina started on top and was there until losing at Northern Iowa (Yep. The same school that sent Kansas home in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2010). Kentucky took over the top spot, which it held all last season. The Wildcats lost at UCLA and Michigan State moved to No. 1. The Spartans lost at Iowa and that allowed Kansas to move to top of the poll. The Jayhawks’ two-week run will probably be over this week after Tuesday’s loss to West Virginia.

UNBEATENS

There are only two schools left with a `0′ on the right-hand side of the record.

No. 10 SMU (15-0) and No. 19 South Carolina (15-0) have both avoided taking a loss this season.

For SMU, pursuit of an undefeated season is their ultimate goal because the Mustangs have been banned from this year’s field of 68 because of NCAA violations.

MISSING COACHES

SMU’s Larry Brown and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, both members of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, missed nine games each this season, suspended for NCAA rules violations. The Mustangs went 9-0 in the games Brown missed while the Orange were 4-5 without Boeheim. Syracuse was ineligible for last year’s NCAA Tournament.

BEST GAME

There will be no arguing.

No. 1 Kansas 109, No. 2 Oklahoma 103 in three overtimes. That the game was in Allen Fieldhouse only added more luster to its instant reputation.

The Jayhawks had chances to win in regulation and after the first two overtimes but it was the third extra session that decided it.

Every time a new 5 minutes was put on the clock, those watching kept finding a place for the game in basketball history and it rose quickly.

Buddy Hield, who had a career-high 46 points for Oklahoma, made two crucial turnovers in the third overtime and then missed a potential tying 3 at the buzzer.

Perry Ellis had 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Jayhawks and he summed it up perfectly when asked how the Jayhawks pulled out the win in a game that tired even the best of the athletes: ”Just heart.”

BEST PLAYER

This one can start a lot of arguments. There are several names that deserve consideration, if not the title: Buddy Hield, Oklahoma; Perry Ellis, Kansas; Brice Johnson, North Carolina, Melo Trimble, Maryland; and Kris Dunn, Providence.

Darnell Valentine of Michigan State gets the nod from here mainly because of how much the Spartans missed him when he was out three weeks after having minor knee surgery.

Valentine, a 6-foot-5 guard, was averaging 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists when he was injured in practice. The Spartans went to overtime to beat Oakland, and went down to the wire to beat Minnesota. Then there was the loss to Iowa, the Spartans’ only one of the season.

He returned Sunday against Penn State and the Spartans are back to being a national contender again.

BEST PERFORMANCE

With apologies to Buddy Hield’s 46-point effort in Oklahoma’s triple-overtime loss to Kansas, the best performance of the season has to be North Carolina’s Brice Johnson finishing with 39 points and 23 rebounds in the win over Florida State.

BEST FRESHMAN

Whether you have found somebody with better numbers, LSU’s Ben Simmons is must-watch TV whenever he’s on. The smoothest swingman since Magic Johnson does it all on the court and that’s not a cliche. He really does everything on the court.

SO LONG

There has already been one coaching change. Dave Rice resigned in his fifth season at UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels had two wins over ranked teams (Indiana and Oregon) but they were 9-7 overall and 0-3 in the Mountain West Conference. Assistant Todd Simon took over on an interim basis.

BIG MATCHUPS

With the Big 12, Big Ten, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East all top heavy with good teams, there are going to be a bunch of ”must-win” games between now and Selection Sunday.

The Big 12’s Kansas and Oklahoma have the rematch of their epic first meeting on Feb. 13.

Michigan State and Maryland won’t play each other because of the unbalanced Big Ten schedule but there will be a rematch of Michigan’s upset of No. 3 Maryland on Feb. 21.

North Carolina and Duke meet twice as they do every season and if you only had two games to attend the Feb. 17 meeting at Chapel Hill and the March 5 game at Durham would be a great tandem. Miami and Virginia will both have a lot of say who will be the top seed in the ACC Tournament.

The Big East may not have football like the Power 5 but it does have Villanova, Xavier and Providence in the Top 12 and the conference plays a full round-robin so there’s still four games among those three to come including a Providence-Villanova home and home.

THE BIG FINISH

All the bubble talk and RPI ramblings will end on Selection Sunday, March 13.

The NCAA Tournament starts that week and it all ends in Houston on April 2 and 4.

The post Football's over. It's time for hoops appeared first on IdealCapper.

The NCAA originally sanctioned Syracuse last March with the loss of three scholarships a year for a four-year period. That penalty was part of the punishment for violations within the men’s basketball program. The university appealed and the governing body reduced the penalty to eight over four years.

While the appeal was pending, the university voluntarily forfeited three scholarships for the current season and Chancellor Kent Syverud requested in a December letter that the Committee on Infractions count those three scholarships against the eight-scholarship penalty.

Greg Sankey, who chairs the Committee on Infractions, notified the university last week of its decision. That means Syracuse will lose two scholarships in each of the next two years and one in 2018-19.

The NCAA allows schools to have 13 student-athletes on scholarship for men’s basketball. That puts Syracuse three scholarships under the NCAA limit this year. The team, which has signed letters of intent from Matthew Moyer and Tyus Battle in this year’s recruiting class, will lose fifth-year seniors Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney after this season.

The post NCAA allows Syracuse to count 3 scholarships toward penalty appeared first on IdealCapper.