Month: December 2019

Another top-five program fell to an unranked opponent as Penn State knocked off Maryland at the Bryce Jordan Center.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Penn State became the fifth unranked team to beat a top-five program in this upset-filled college basketball season, getting 15 points and 11 rebounds from Mike Watkins in a 76-69 win over No. 4 Maryland on Tuesday night.

Lamar Stevens added 15 points and 10 rebounds, Myreon Jones and Izaiah Brockington each scored 14 points, and Myles Dread had 12 points for the Nittany Lions (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten), who led for all but 1:54.

Jalen Smith had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Terrapins (10-1, 1-1), who were trying for their first 11-0 start since 1996.

Eric Ayala scored 15, Anthony Cowan Jr. had 14, Aaron Wiggins had 13 and Serrel Smith added 12 for the Terps, who trailed 40-30 at halftime.

Penn State’s win was followed minutes later by another unranked team knocking off an unbeaten opponent – Texas Tech over No. 1 Louisville at Madison Square Garden.

The Nittany Lions led by as many as 10 with 15:19 to play, but the Terps used an 11-3 run capped by a 3-pointer from Cowan to cut the deficit to 52-50 with 10:57 left.

They wouldn’t get any closer, and Penn State won its first game against a top-5 team since Feb. 17, 2016, when the Nittany Lions knocked off then-No. 4 Iowa.

Penn State leaned on its defense to build its first-half lead.

The Nittany Lions forced 12 turnovers in the first 10 minutes and used most of them to fuel an 18-5 run. Dread capped the sequence with a 3-pointer that made it 27-15.

Maryland slowed the pace with a pair of jumpers before Cowan hit a 3 that cut Penn State’s lead to five. The Nittany Lions closed the half with a 13-8 run, capped by a buzzer-beating 3 from Jones.

THE TAKEAWAY

Maryland: The Terps fell behind early for a second straight game, but it didn’t work out as well against a bigger, more skilled opponent. Maryland also spotted Illinois a big lead on Saturday before rallying.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions have beaten top teams at home in the Patrick Chambers era, but those wins have usually come late in the season.

UP NEXT

Maryland visits No. 22 Seton Hall on Dec. 19

Penn State hosts Alabama on Saturday.

Davide Moretti scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Red Raiders over the top-ranked Cardinals at Madison Square Garden.

NEW YORK – Davide Moretti scored 18 points and hit successive three-pointers that helped Texas Tech knock off undefeated No. 1 Louisville 70-57 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Louisville became the fourth top-ranked team to lose this season, joining Michigan State, Kentucky and Duke.

The Cardinals (9-1) easily played their worst game of the season, shooting an absymal 34 % from the floor and leading scorer Jordan Nwora had only 14 points. Coach Chris Mack let loose his frustration in the Jimmy V Classic game in the final 90 seconds and was whistled for a technical.

Moretti hit a pair of free throws to seal the win and Texas Tech fans sitting behind the basket told security to ”move the rope, we’re running on the floor!”

There was no court storming at the Garden – but another AP No. 1 bit the dust in an upset. It’s the third time an unranked team has beat an AP No. 1 this season.

Texas Tech (6-3) played without leading scorer Jahmi’us Ramsey (17.3 points) for the third straight game because of a hamstring injury. The Red Raiders lost four of their top five scorers off the team that took Virginia to overtime before losing in the NCAA championship game last season.

While fourth-year coach Chris Beard could have expected a bit of a transition season, three straight losses, including one at — an albeit, improved and nationally ranked — DePaul made for a rocky start.

Moretti buried two straight 3s midway through the second half for an 11-point lead that gave the Red Raiders the space they needed. Chris Clarke hit another 3 for Texas Tech and it went into a timeout with a seven-point lead.

Louisville could never make a run, and Nwora was held below his 21.4 scoring average. Louisville missed 3s, layups and generally looked lethargic on offense. Down eight, guard Darius Perry was whistled for a charge in the paint and the unraveling Cards were about out of chances.

Terrance Shannon Jr. came down and made a 3 for Texas Tech that had a surprisingly strong turnout of fans going wild. Security did man the baseline to keep the wildly enthusiastic Red Raiders fans at bay.

Beard pointed toward the crowd as he walked toward the locker room and thrust his fist in the air at the friendly fans.

The Cardinals missed 20 of 28 shots overall from the floor in the first half and were limited from 3-point range, the kind of shooting that gave a scuffling team like Texas Tech a chance.

And who knew, the walk-on would lead them.

Avery Benson, one of only three players back from last year’s team, had the Red Raiders fans going wild with a pair of highlight-reel blocks that stunned the Cards. Benson stuffed Nowra, a player of the year candidate, and then finished the half with a monster rejection off a Lamarr Kimble shot at the horn to send the Red Raiders into halftime up 31-28. They led by as many as nine in the half and were in prime position to pull off the No. 1 stunner.

The Garden saw its share of top teams since the season opened: Michigan State in the Champions Classic and Duke in the 2K Empire Classic also were No. 1 in the AP poll in games played at MSG. They aren’t No. 1 anymore – and by Monday’s poll, the Cardinals should be knocked off the perch.

BIG PICTURE

Louisville: The Cardinals will be just fine, though they’ll surely lose their No. 1 ranking. They became the sixth Top 5 team to lose to an unranked squad this season – No. 4 Maryland fell earlier in the evening to Penn State.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders got the confidence boost they needed and hope the remaining soft nonconference schedule can pad their record before Big 12 play begins in a few weeks.

UP NEXT

Louisville returns home Saturday to play Eastern Kentucky

Texas Tech hosts Southern Mississippi on Monday in the first of five straight home games.

The Cardinals lost their first game Tuesday and became the fourth No. 1 team to lose this season.

The Phillies have reached agreement with former Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius on a one-year deal, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Buster Olney. The deal is for $14 million, NBC Sports Philadelphia reported.