Lady Raiders go 4-for-5 in Warrior Classic

Garrison Keeslar made the go-ahead jumper with 11 seconds left in overtime as Chattanooga won its first NIT championship with an 85-84 victory over UC Irvine on Thursday in Indianapolis. Collin Mulholland scored 19 points for the Mocs (29-9), while Trey Bonham (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Keeslar (14 points, 10 boards) each finished with a double-double. Devin Tillis put up 19 points to pace UC Irvine (32-7), while Bent Leuchten chipped in with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Anteaters' Jurian Dixon contributed 16 points but squandered a golden chance to win the game at the buzzer. The Anteaters created a bit of separation early in the second half as they went on a 7-0 run to open a 48-40 lead. The Mocs chipped away down the stretch in regulation, a comeback fueled by Keeslar's two 3-pointers. They eventually went ahead with 16.3 seconds left when Honor Huff was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all three free throws to put his team on top 76-74. However, UC Irvine's Myles Che was promptly fouled on the other end and made 2 of 3, leaving the score tied. Chattanooga had multiple chances to win it in the waning seconds of regulation, including Mulholland's 3-point attempt that rimmed off at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime. With under 1 1/2 minutes left in OT, Mulholland knocked down a 3-pointer to put Chattanooga up by a point, but Che countered on the other end with the go-ahead jumper with 1:13 to play. Keeslar then made his decisive basket -- a wide-open look near the foul line -- before both teams squandered key opportunities. First, UC Irvine committed a turnover (while not using any of its four remaining timeouts) and then Huff missed two free throws with 2.7 seconds left, giving the Anteaters one final attempt. UC Irvine launched the ball down court and Dixon had a point-blank layup attempt for the win, but he missed it as time expired. The score was close for the bulk of the first half, capped by an exciting sequence in the waning seconds. Tillis gave UC Irvine the lead by hitting a layup with four seconds to play before Bonham drained a shot from beyond half court at the buzzer, sending the Mocs into the locker room with a 38-37 lead. --Field Level Media

Eric Dixon scored 24 of his 28 points in the second half, including the go-ahead free throw with 18 seconds remaining, and Villanova outlasted Southern California 60-59 in the quarterfinal round of the College Basketball Crown on Thursday in Las Vegas. Dixon, who became the program's all-time scoring leader in the opening round of the inaugural College Basketball Crown, extended his record with a monster second half to lead Villanova (21-14). Dixon put up all but nine of the Wildcats' second-half points, and he grabbed a critical rebound with three seconds left as Desmond Claude's would-be go-ahead layup for USC rimmed out. On the previous possession, Dixon broke a 59-59 tie when he hit the first of two free throws earned when he drew contact from Rashaun Agee on a jump-shot attempt. Villanova erased a second-half deficit of 12 points, which USC (17-18) built with a 10-2 run coming out of halftime. Saint Thomas scored all 10 USC points in the spurt, including a pair of 3-pointers, highlighting his team-leading 23-point performance. He also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Agee added 22 points for the Trojans, who were without Chibuzo Agbo and Wesley Yates III, two of the team's top scorers during the season. Thomas and Agee, along with Claude (10 points), were responsible for all but four of USC's points. Likewise, Villanova got 16 points from Wooga Poplar and 10 from Jhamir Brickus. Two of Brickus' points came on a tiebreaking pull-up jumper with 4:04 remaining, answering the last of Thomas' three 3-pointers. All six of the remaining Wildcats points not accounted for by Dixon, Poplar or Brickus came from Enoch Boakye, who also grabbed eight rebounds. The win sends Villanova to Saturday's semifinals to face UCF, which beat Cincinnati 88-80 earlier on Thursday. --Field Level Media

Darius Johnson scored 31 points and dished seven assists and Tyler Hendricks added 14 points to lift UCF to an 88-80 victory against Cincinnati on Thursday in a College Basketball Crown quarterfinal in Las Vegas. UCF will meet Villanova in the tournament semifinals on Saturday after the Wildcats edged Southern California 60-59 later Thursday night. Johnson helped clinch the win for the Knights with a pair of free throws with 18.6 seconds to go before hitting a layup just ahead of the buzzer to account for the final margin. He finished 11-for-23 from the floor with five treys. Moustapha Thiam (13 points) and Nils Machowski (11) also scored in double figures for UCF (19-16). Day Day Thomas paced the Bearcats (19-16) with 19 points, hitting five 3-pointers. Dillon Mitchell notched 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Simas Lukosius added 11 points. Cincinnati finished plus-four on the glass but shot 42.9 percent compared to 47 percent for UCF. UCF created distance early in the second half, rolling to a 10-0 run that included five points from Machowski. The Bearcats responded with six points in 48 seconds to pull within 54-52 with 12:13 to go. Thomas drilled a long trey to put Cincinnati ahead 60-58 with 10:15 left, but the Knights responded with a Thiam 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to grab the lead right back. The teams combined on 14 lead changes, but the Knights went ahead for good when Thiam's layup provided a 71-70 lead with 4:34 remaining, kick-starting a 10-0 run. The Bearcats never got closer than four points the rest of the way. Cincinnati topped host UCF 93-83 in Big 12 play on Feb. 5 behind 20 points from Thomas. The Knights stopped a five-game losing streak in the series with Thursday's victory. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 18-6. Sparked by a spirited effort from Johnson, who contributed 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting, UCF took a 38-35 lead into halftime. Cincinnati had the advantage for only 1:43 in the opening half. As with each Crown semifinalist, UCF earned $50,000 in NIL endorsement opportunities. --Field Level Media

Central Michigan fired coach Tony Barbee on Thursday after four seasons. The Chippewas went 14-17 this season and 49-75 in Barbee's four seasons at the helm. Barbee, 53, had one winning season at Central Michigan, going 18-14 during the 2023-24 season. "At this time, I have determined that we need to go in a different direction with the leadership of our men's basketball program," athletic director Amy Folan said in a news release. "I want to thank Tony for his dedication and service during his last four years in Mount Pleasant. We wish him the best in his future endeavors. "I am confident that we will attract a high-caliber candidate pool during our head coaching search. This is a tremendous opportunity, and we know that our community will rally behind our next Chippewa men's basketball coach." Barbee also went 49-75 in a four-season stint at Auburn from 2010-14. Prior to that, Barbee went 82-52 at UTEP from 2006-10, leading the Miners to a 26-7 record and a NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2009-10 campaign. --Field Level Media

Virginia transfer guard Andrew Rohde committed to Wisconsin, according to On3. Rohde spent his freshman season with St. Thomas, playing in the Summit League, where he averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals. In 2023, Rohde transferred to Virginia, where he played the last two seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 9.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals, while shooting 41.3 percent from 3. The 6-foot 6-inch guard led the ACC during league play with a 3.4 assist to turnover ratio for the 15-17 Cavaliers. Wisconsin adds their first transfer commit of the class. The Badgers were a powerhouse in the Big Ten last season with a 27-10 overall record (13-7 Big Ten). The Badgers' season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where the No. 3 seed Badgers lost to sixth-seeded BYU, 91-89. --Field Level Media

Wisconsin guard John Blackwell declared for the NBA draft on Thursday after enjoying a solid sophomore season. Blackwell said he would retain his college eligibility in case he decides to pull out of the draft. "My goal has always been to play in NBA, and going through the process will take me one step closer to my dream," Blackwell said on social media. Blackwell made it clear he doesn't want to play for another college or enter the transfer portal. "If I decide to wait another season before playing at the next level, I plan to come back to play for Coach (Greg) Gard in Madison," Blackwell said. "One a Badger, always a Badger!" Blackwell averaged 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists and knocked down 58 3-pointers in 37 games while helping the Badgers reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to BYU. As a freshman, Blackwell averaged 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 34 games (one start). --Field Level Media

The Chicago Bears are signing quarterback Case Keenum to a one-year, $3 million deal, according to ESPN. The 11-year veteran signal caller has played for seven different teams. He began his career with the Houston Texans in 2013, where he played for two seasons. Coincidentally, Keenum rejoined the Texans and spent the last two seasons in H-Town. In 2023, he started two games and throwing 291 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. In August 2024, Keenum was placed on injured reserve, appearing in zero games last season. The 37-year-old Keenum has his best season in 2017 when he guided the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. He passed for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 15 games (14 starts). Over his career, Keenum has appeared in 80 games (66 starts) and recorded 15,175 passing yards, 79 passing touchdowns, and 51 interceptions. He will provide an experienced backup behind 23-year-old Caleb Williams. --Field Level Media

Trey McBride agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday. ESPN reported that the total value of the deal is $76 million. McBride's $19 million per season average makes him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, topping the $17.125 million average that belongs to Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs. Arizona officially announced McBride's extension but didn't divulge all the financial details. He will remain under contract with the team through the 2029 season. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was glad to hear of the development. "Maaaaan! So happy for my dawg, worth every penny! More work to be done but a great day," Murray said on social media. The 25-year-old McBride has quickly gone from a relatively unknown player to one of the best tight ends in the league. McBride was a second-round pick by the Cardinals out of Colorado State in 2022 and caught 29 passes as a rookie. Then, he stepped up in 2023 with 81 receptions for 825 yards and shattered those marks last season with 111 catches for 1,146 yards while reaching the Pro Bowl for the first time. The 111 receptions were fourth-most in the NFL and the yardage ranked 11th. Though he has 221 catches for 2,236 yards in 49 NFL games, McBride has just six touchdown catches. At Colorado State, McBride was a consensus All-American as a senior in 2021, when he caught 90 passes for 1,121 yards and one touchdown. --Field Level Media

It would be difficult for two teams to know each other quite as well as South Carolina and Texas do at this point. Three games in one season is one thing. The Gamecocks and Longhorns are getting ready for Round 4. "It's our fourth time playing them but it's their fourth time playing us," Texas guard Shay Holle said Thursday in Tampa, Fla., one day before the SEC rivals collide in the Final Four. "It goes the both ways in the sense obviously on both sides it's going to be a well-scouted game; we'll know play calls, all that stuff. "It's really how you execute it. You can put in different things. I'm sure they're doing it as well. As (teammate Rori Harmon) said, at the end of the day, talent meets talent." In Texas' first season in the conference, the teams split a pair of regular-season meetings -- a 67-50 South Carolina win in Columbia and a 66-62 Texas victory in Austin. They advanced to the SEC championship game, which South Carolina dominated 64-45. "It's one thing to talk it. It's another thing to walk it," said Texas coach Vic Schaefer, whose program seeks its second national title. "And they don't like to be told they've been punked. They take great pride in not getting punked. When I tell them they've gotten punked, they do not like it. So they work hard. So you want them to enjoy it." South Carolina's players also understood how razor-thin the margins would be when facing a foe as familiar as Texas. "We know they're going to come and bring whatever they have against us," guard Raven Johnson said. "So I think we just need to listen to our coaches because they game plan and execute what they have for us." The Gamecocks are the more established program in this matchup, with seven appearances in the Final Four and three championships. But Dawn Staley's group is in the rare position of wanting payback - South Carolina's three losses this season have come to each of the other Final Four teams in Texas, UCLA and UConn. "We just have to go out there and show that our best basketball has yet to come," guard MiLaysia Fulwiley told ESPN. "So it motivates me because we owe them one." --Field Level Media

As Duke and Houston prepare to battle Saturday night in San Antonio, the story of the Final Four matchup between these No. 1 seeds is a contrast of two basketball powers at different stages of evolution. The Blue Devils (35-3), appearing in their 18th Final Four and seeking their sixth national title, are the blue blood du jour. They're the ones with the presumptive No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, and the team many believe is the best in the sport. The Cougars (34-4) have made their seventh national semifinal, on par with the likes of Villanova and UConn. But the program most associated with "Phi Slama Jama" has yet to win its first national championship, and this season Houston has not enjoyed the same attention as Duke or the Southeastern Conference despite winning 17 games in a row. J'Wan Roberts, in his fifth season at Houston, said this week that being overlooked suits the gritty Cougars just fine. "We're probably not the big-name school or whatever. We're just Houston, in Third Ward," Roberts said. "We probably don't get the respect that we need, but I think that's something that puts a fire under us and us keeping a chip on our shoulder." Roberts was a freshman on the Houston team that made the 2021 Final Four. He's blossomed into the Cougars' top rebounder (6.3 per game) and vocal leader. The forward is one of four Cougars scoring in double figures (10.7 ppg), behind L.J. Cryer (15.4), Emanuel Sharp (12.7) and Milos Uzan (11.6). The main X's and O's question of this Final Four matchup is how Houston's No. 1 KenPom defense will counter Duke's No. 1 KenPom offense -- and how Duke phenom Cooper Flagg will fare against the Cougars' man-to-man. Duke has shot 56.2 percent from the floor and 47.3 percent from 3-point range this tournament, averaging 91.8 points per game. Houston has allowed just 37.6 percent shooting and 24.0 percent on 3-pointers in four games, allowing only one opponent to exceed 60 points. "You talk about five guys moving together on defense, they're the best at it," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. "They're the best at it no matter what you do. You really have to take advantage of that window of opportunity, and then you have to go north-south. You can't be going east-west against these guys." Flagg (18.9 ppg) can score in bunches, but Houston's lengthy frontcourt of Roberts, Ja'Vier Francis and Joseph Tugler may prioritize neutralizing him and lob threat Khaman Maluach. Then the Cougars must deal with a Duke backcourt of Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor and Sion James, all of whom are 40 percent 3-point shooters or better. Scheyer has reached his first Final Four in his third year since succeeding Mike Krzyzewski. But he's no stranger to the weekend, having made it with Duke as a player (2010) and an assistant (2015, 2022). "Walking out there (Thursday) for practice, I was just soaking it in like when I was 22 years old walking out for the first time," Scheyer said. "... At the same time, I feel we belong here. I feel this is what we've worked for. So there's that combination of amazing pride, wanting to soak it in, but then the incredible hunger and understanding what a challenge this game is going to be on Saturday." Scheyer and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson both expressed high respect for one another and revealed that they played a closed-door preseason scrimmage in 2022. Sampson dubbed Proctor (12.5 ppg) a "professional role player" and complimented James (8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds), Duke's less-heralded fifth starter. "The brilliance of Jon is how he insulated those (freshmen) with veteran guys, and they don't get talked about enough," Sampson said. "Sion James when he was at Tulane -- smart, tough, winner. For them to identify him, evaluate him and say, ‘That's what we need with these three.'" --Field Level Media