Rhode Island Basketball

Kentucky, Michigan And Smu Win Conference Tournament Titles

... came as Kentucky scored 13 straight points to end the first half and into the opening minute of the second that turned a three-point lead to a 46-30 edge. Arkansas (25-9) fell to 1-6 in this championship, having lost to Kentucky for the second time in three years. BIG TEN. Michigan 71, No. 24 Wisconsin 56: The Wolverines completed a magical run to its first conference tournament title, using a swarming defense and accurate shooting to beat the Badgers in Washington. The eighth-seeded Wolverines (24-11) began their journey with a scary skid off the airport runway in Michigan and ended it by overwhelming the second-seeded Badgers, who had won three straight — including the regular season finale against Minnesota — by a total of 55 points. Between the aborted flight and their final unexpected victory, the Wolverines beat Illinois , eliminated top-seed Purdue ...

Rhode Island Legend Lamar Odom Surprises Team After Win

... March 18 th, 2017. This article originally appeared on __link__. SACRAMENTO — As Rhode Island players took the floor for their school’s first NCAA tournament game in 18 years, a few looked up into the stands to see a surprise visitor: former Rams star and NBA veteran Lamar Odom. None of them had ever seen him in person. It was kind of a big deal. “Our kids went crazy when they saw him,” said Rhode Island assistant Jim Carr. “We’ll take all the good luck charms we can get.”. Eleventh seed Rhode Island didn’t seem to need much luck Friday against sixth seed Creighton. Fueled by a suffocating defense, the Rams led the entire way en route to an easy 84–72 victory. It was the school’s first tourney win since reaching the Elite Eight in 1998—the year before Odom arrived. The 14-year NBA vet, best known for winning two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, played just one season (1998–99) for Rhode Island yet remains a legendary figure there for hitting a game-winning ...

Oregon Ducks Basketball On Upset Alert Against Rhode Island In Ncaa Tournament

... “I think Rhode Island will be more of a grind, push it when they have the opportunities. We saw a lot of zone from Iona and I don’t think we’ll see any against Rhode Island, we’ll see a lot of man-to-man.”. Oregon ranks second in the nation with 6.5 blocks per game, but has just five in two games without the injured Chris Boucher. Rhode Island ranks fourth with 6.0 blocks led by 6-foot-7 Hassan Martin, who’s 18 th with 2.5 per game. “I’d say the team in our conference I compare them to is USC with their athleticism and shot-blocking,” Oregon junior guard Casey Benson said. “We have to work the ball around to get the best shot possible.”. Rhode Island was one of three No. 11 seeds to win in the opening round. The only lower seed to win a game was 12 th-seeded Middle Tennessee. “It’s the biggest stage, but we thrive off being an underdog and playing the best teams in the country,” said junior guard E. C. Matthews, who leads the Rams with 14.9 points per game. “We just treat it as, why not us? Why can’t we win?”. The Ducks feel the same way as they seek a second straight trip ...

Future Bright For Pc Basketball

... But these Friars weren’t even supposed to be in the NCAA Tournament this season. After three consecutive trips to The Big Dance, they lost their two stars, Kris Dunn and Ben Bentil, to the NBA Draft. Remember? They started the season without a proven floor leader and supporting players thrust into regular roles. Remember? Then, during the season, this team developed its own identity. Rodney Bullock emerged as the leader and top scorer. Kyron Cartwright took over as the ball handler. Jalen Lindsey complemented Bullock. Emmitt Holt did the job on the boards. Freshman Alpha Diallo began to assert himself. And the Friars (20-13), picked to finish ninth, finished third instead. Third! So much for the predictions of coaches. Their First Four invitation put them in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth ...

Uri Walk-on Will Leviton’s Story Comes Full-circle In Sacramento

... first round of the NCAAM Tournament. Alex Subers. SACRAMENTO — Will Leviton had a plan. Last year, he stayed in the gym after his student-manager duties ended to get some basketball tips from Rhode Island’s starting five. Every day. And he did it without head coach Dan Hurley seeing, or even knowing about it. Leviton knew it would be an uphill battle to earn his way onto the team, but that’s just what he’s used to. It’s been a strange road for the sophomore from Providence, but one that has oddly come full-circle across the country in the NCAA Tournament. It was in Sacramento, where the Rams were sent for their first- and second-round games, that he reconnected with his dad, who he hadn’t seen for eight years, and met his brother for the first time. Leviton’s parents separated shortly after he was born. His father moved to Ivory Coast and he was only able to visit him for eight months as a toddler, then later when he was 12. However, he ...

Surprising Shea Looking To Upset Defending Champion Hendricken

... KINGSTOWN — It will be the giant against the ultimate giant-killer for the boys basketball state title on Sunday night. Hendricken, which has won nine of the last 13 state titles, and Shea, which has not won it since the school was called Pawtucket West in 1949, earned the right to meet for the Rhode Island championship with victories in the semifinals of the State Tournament on Saturday at the Ryan Center. Hendricken, the defending state champion, defeated North Kingstown, 64-51, in the first game. In the nightcap, Shea, the tournament’s third seed and which lost only one of its 21 Division II games this season, broke away from a 29-29 halftime deadlock for a 65-57 victory over Division I St. Raphael, the tournament’s second seed. The Hawks and Raiders will play for the state title at 6 p.m. on Sunday at the Ryan Center. A sensational 27-point performance by freshman guard Erickson Bans led Shea to what probably is the school’s biggest basketball victory in seven decades. Bans scored 16 of his 27 points in the second half, most of them coming off drives to the hoop through ...

Oregon Rallies To Defeat Rhode Island 75-72 In The Second Round Of The Ncaa Tournament

... three steals to push Oregon (31-5) into the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row where it will face seventh-seeded Michigan Thursday at 4:09 p.m. in Kansas City. “We didn’t want to put our jerseys up and go home with a loss,” Dorsey said. “We got big stops and rebounds. If we had lost that game we would have been sick looking back at the film of how we played in the first half. In the second half, it came down to defense and rebounding and I just stepped into it and hit the shots.”. Oregon led 25-18 after Dillon Brooks got a tip-in with 8:20 left in the first half, but the Oregon junior was called for a technical foul on the play that led to two free throws by Matthews to started a 28-13 run to close out the half as Rhode Island took a 46-38 lead at the break. Oregon had 10 turnovers in the first half that led to 16 points for Rhode Island, which shot 59.4 percent from the field in the half. “Coach lit into us,” Oregon guard Casey Benson said. “The big message was that we can’t turn the ball over because ...

Why Bill Murray Is At All These Xavier Games

... up at Luke’s games, too, because dads do that. He’s probably been showing up at Luke-coached and Luke-played games for many years. Bill Murray was at Fordham-Rhode Island tonight. (cc @KFCBarstool ) __link__/5 ja ARVrxu T. — Kenny Ducey (@Kenny Ducey) February 2, 2014. Before his time at Rhode Island, Luke was an assistant at Towson and Wagner. Before that, he was a graduate assistant at Arizona under Sean Miller in 2009-10. The Wildcats missed the NCAA tournament that year, so last season and this one have been Luke’s first opportunities in the Big Dance. Bill gets to watch, which is great. Here’s what Mack says about Luke in his official Xavier bio. "Luke is one of the top young assistant coaches in America. His efforts here so far and at Towson and URI have demonstrated his ability to both attract talented players and coach them successfully. I have known Luke for a number of years and ...

Vcu Lost To Rhode Island A10 Men's Basketball Championship Final Game

... Island's Kuran Iverson(23) in the second half of A-10 men's basketball championship final game at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sunday, March 12, 2017. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD. VCU's Je Quan Lewis(2), right, tries to steal a ball from Rhode Island's E. C. Matthews in the second half of A-10 men's basketball championship final game at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sunday, March 12, 2017. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD. Rhode Island head coach Dan Hurley thumps up as the team plays against VCU in the first half of A-10 men's basketball championship final game at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sunday, March 12, 2017. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD. VCU's Justin Tillman (4) and Rhode Island's E. C. Matthews (0) chase a ball in the first half of the A-10 men's basketball championship game. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD. VCU's Samir Doughty(2), left, looks for a shoot against Rhode Island's Cyril Langevine(10) in the first half of A-10 men's basketball championship ...

Rhode Island Finds Way To Shut Down Jack Gibbs, Pound Davidson

... win, handing the Wildcats (17-15) their biggest margin of defeat all season. It’s remarkable when you look at the final score and you look at the way they just pummeled us. Davidson coach Bob Mc Killop. Junior forward Peyton Aldridge said that beyond what it did to Gibbs, Rhode Island (23-8) forced all of Davidson’s activity out of the lane and past the foul line, which made it difficult to build any sort of rhythm. “It’s remarkable when you look at the final score and you look at the way they just pummeled us,” said Davidson coach Bob Mc Killop. Three who mattered. E. C. Matthews, Rhode Island: Led the relentless Rams’ offense, hitting all four 3-pointers, and all five free throws, he attempted en route to a game-high 19 points. Hassan Martin, Rhode Island: Dominated Davidson inside, shooting 53 percent overall after hitting on eight of ...

Jared Terrell Living His Ncaa Dreams With The Rhode Island Basketball Team

... Rams went from a 14-win team to finishing tied for second in the Atlantic 10 and making the tournament semifinals. Terrell has been a steady force for a URI team that’s been ravaged by injuries. The most notable was Matthews, who tore his ACL at the beginning of last season and squashed the Rams’ NCAA dreams. In hindsight, it had a silver lining, particularly for Terrell, who started every game for URI the past two seasons and developed confidence in an expanded role. “It was big for him,” Hurley said. “As a player, confidence is so important, and just the way he was able to play as a sophomore in conference play in particular. He was a great guard in the A-10 his sophomore year.”. It’s paid dividends this season for the Rams (24-9), even if it was a year later than they had hoped. URI is on fire with eight ...