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Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida's sprawling non-conference schedule features 8 Sunshine State dates
GAINESVILLE — Florida's non-conference basketball schedule will showcase the team in high-profile settings, send the Gators to both coasts and feature them eight times in the Sunshine State, including six games at home in the O'Connell Center. The school announced the balance of the games the reigning national champion Gators will play outside the SEC. Advertisement Many, including the Nov. 3 season-opener against Arizona in Las Vegas and Dec. 6 date at Duke, have been previously announced. UF updated the schedule with six home games, highlighted by a Nov. 11 visit from Florida State. The Gators' other non-conference games features the home opener against North Florida Nov. 6, along with a matchup with Merrimack (Nov. 21). Florida then will have a nearly four-week stretch away from home before a Dec. 17 visit from Saint Francis to the O'Connell Center. Colgate will visit Gainesville on Dec. 21 and UF will host Dartmouth on Dec. 29. Todd Golden's squad also will play Miami Nov. 16 in Jacksonville and George Washington Dec. 13 in Sunrise during the annual Orange Bowl Classic. UF did not announce either game, but each has been widely reported. Advertisement All told, the Gators will play 17 times in the state of Florida, including nine SEC games in Gainesville. While opponents have been announced, dates, times and television assignments have not. Expected to be one of the nation's top teams, UF also could open NCAA Tournament play close to home. On March 20 and 22, Tampa's Amalie Arena will serves as one of eight first- and second-round host sites for the Big Dance. Golden's team currently is participating in summer workouts with key transfer guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee, along with one of the nation's top returning front courts, led by 6-foot-11 junior Alex Condon and 6-foot-9 forward Thomas Haugh, who is projected as the No. 15 selection in the 2026 NBA Draft by The Athletic. Condon, who withdrew from the NBA draft in late May to return for a third college season, was slotted No. 29 in the publication's mock draft. Florida Men's Basketball 2025-26 Nonconference Schedule Date, Opponent, Site Nov. 3: Arizona, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Advertisement Nov. 6: North Florida, O'Connell Center Nov. 11: Florida State, O'Connell Center Nov. 16: Miami, Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville Nov. 21: Merrimack, O'Connell Center Nov. 27-28: TCU/Providence/Wisconsin, Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego Dec. 2: Duke, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C. Dec. 9: UConn, Madison Square Garden, New York City Dec. 13: George Washington, Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise Dec. 17: Saint Francis, O'Connell Center Dec. 21: Colgate, O'Connell Center Dec. 29: Dartmouth, O'Connell Center Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former UNC basketball star expected to sign new NBA contract
Will this former UNC standout turn himself into an NBA starter? The 2020-2021 college basketball season was a mixed bag for the North Carolina Tar Heels. They returned to the NCAA Tournament for a 10th-consecutive season, a year after COVID-19 cancelled 2020's Big Dance, but were blown out (85-62) by Wisconsin. UNC welcomed one of its deepest, most-talented recruiting classes to Chapel Hill ahead of its 2020-2021 campaign, headlined by 5-stars Caleb Love and Walker Kessler. The greatest Tar Heel from that recruiting class ended up being RJ Davis, an all-time program great who ended up winning 2024 ACC Player of the Year Honors – and now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. One player not talked about enough from that 20'-21' roster: former 5-star recruit Day'Ron Sharpe, now a member of the Brooklyn Nets. Enter his fifth NBA season and with his rookie contract now expired, Sharpe is planning a return to Brooklyn, announcing his intention to sign a new deal on Monday afternoon. According to ESPN Senior Insider Shams Charania, Sharpe's deal will be worth two years and $12 million dollars. He'll stay with former Tar Heel Drake Powell, the latter of whom the Nets selected 22nd overall in last week's NBA Draft. Sharpe is largely a reserve, starting just 14 of his 191 NBA appearances for the Nets, but is watching his production increase each season. Sharpe averaged career highs of 7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game during Brooklyn's 2024-2025 campaign, which included five double-doubles, highlighted by a 25-point, 15-rebound performance against the eventual NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder in February. Though Sharpe was a rare one-and-done at North Carolina, he made a name for himself as an offensive rebound machine, leading the country in offensive rebound percentage (.183) and the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (3.4). Sharpe finished second to Florida State's Scottie Barnes, now a member of the Toronto Raptors, in 2021 ACC Rookie and Sixth Man of the Year Voting. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duke basketball makes confident Cooper Flagg claim before NBA Draft
The post Duke basketball makes confident Cooper Flagg claim before NBA Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints. Duke basketball made a confident social media post about Cooper Flagg ahead of the NBA Draft. The Blue Devils are coming off a stellar third season under head coach Jon Scheyer. The past year's team finished with a record of 35-4, winning the ACC regular season and conference tournament championships en route to a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance. Duke subsequently made it to the Final Four, where its season ended in an epic clash against Houston. Advertisement While it may not have been the ending Jon Scheyer and company wanted, the Blue Devils' head coach has this program back to its healthy, championship-contending ways. And the main reason Duke basketball was able to put together this special season was due to former No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg. The Newport, Maine native lived up to the hype and then some, becoming the first freshman since Zion Williamson to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award. Flagg now heads into the draft as the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick, and Duke basketball believes that is a given in a recent post on Twitter when Cooper visited the program for a youth camp. Next season's Blue Devils team has large shoes to fill after the success of Cooper Flagg and company. Fortunately, Jon Scheyer has assembled another elite recruiting class, headlined by the Boozer twins. Cameron and Cayden are five-star recruits who should be immediate stars on this roster. Duke basketball also returns a few contributors from this past season's team, including Caleb Foster, Maliq Brown, and Isaiah Evans. Evans, in particular, has All-American potential, so his coming back to Durham is critical for this program. Advertisement In addition, Jon Scheyer made a huge transfer portal splash, adding Washington State standout Cedric Coward. Duke basketball may not have the high-level talent that the Cooper Flagg squad did, but this team could be built for an even deeper NCAA Tournament run if this group builds the necessary chemistry. It would be par for the course with Scheyer's tenure should the Blue Devils continue going further in the Big Dance. Overall, it wasn't all that bold for Duke basketball to make this claim. A lot would have to go wrong for Cooper Flagg not to be the No. 1 pick in this upcoming draft. The 18-year-old is a generational talent and will be the consensus favorite to win Rookie of the Year for the 2025-26 NBA season. And Flagg has brought Duke basketball back to where it belongs. It's up to Schyer to continue this momentum in Durham. Related: Dawn Thornton, Alabama A&M land former Pac-12 assistant Related: 4-star big man reclassifies to 2025 to play for Alabama this season
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ranking the 10 best moments from LSU baseball's national championship run and CWS win
LSU baseball added to the trophy case on Sunday, winning its eighth national championship in program history. LSU completed a College World Series final sweep of Coastal Carolina, winning 1-0 on Saturday and 5-3 in Game 2 on Sunday. For head coach Jay Johnson, it's his second national title in the last three years. Johnson, who arrived at LSU for the 2022 season, is the fastest coach to win multiple national championships at the same program. LSU is the standard in college baseball. LSU's title run wasn't without drama -- there was plenty of it. The Tigers' season looked to be in doubt as LSU trailed Little Rock 5-1 in Game 7 of the Baton Rouge Regional. LSU came storming back to punch a ticket to the Super Regional. LSU swept West Virginia and made the trip to Omaha. In the College World Series, LSU had to beat Arkansas twice and overcome a weather delay that forced LSU's meeting with UCLA to occupy two days. Here are the 10 best moments from LSU baseball's postseason run. 10. Luis Hernandez ties it up vs. Little Rock in the Baton Rouge Regional Down 5-1 to Little Rock, LSU was on the verge of being on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in college baseball history. Little Rock had a losing record in the regular season but won its conference tournament to earn a bid to the Big Dance. LSU being eliminated at the hands of the Trojans would have been cause for a meltdown in Baton Rouge. Luis Hernandez made sure Little Rock didn't etch its name in the history books. As LSU clawed back from the deficit, Luis Hernandez tied the game with a solo home run to left field. A fastball was left over the plate and Hernandez blasted a no-doubter. From there, the Tigers would roll to a 10-6 victory. Hernandez homered again later in the night and finished the game with three hits and three RBI. 9. Chase Shores gets the final out of the College World Series LSU pitcher Chase Shores returned to the rotation in 2025 after missing all of 2024, recovering from Tommy John Surgery. But after some bumps, Shores was moved to the bullpen in mid-April. Shores struggled to adjust to the new role, but as the postseason arrived, LSU needed someone in the pen to step up alongside Casan Evans. That man proved to Chase Shores. In Game 2 on Sunday, I thought Jay Johnson was expected to turn to Evans out of the pen, but Evans wasn't needed with Shores pitching 2.2 scoreless innings to close it down. Shores' final pitch hit 100 on the radar gun, forcing a double-play to end it. For Shores, it was the highlight of his career after a rocky three years in Baton Rouge. Shores' stuff is electric, and it was on display in the College World Series. 7. Jared Jones put LSU in front with home run vs. UCLA After LSU beat Arkansas to open their College World Series run, the Tigers faced UCLA with a chance to move to 2-0 in Omaha. A critical step towards reaching the final. Anthony Eyanson was shaky in the first inning vs. the Bruins, allowing three runs. LSU was in an early hole, but it didn't last long. In the bottom of the first, LSU slugger Jared Jones put LSU up with a three-run homer. Jones got just enough to drive it out the opposite way. The homer gave the momentum right back to LSU, and the Tigers led the rest of the way. The game was suspended a few innings later and had to be completed the next morning. We'll see Jones again later on this list. 6. Double-grand slams vs. West Virginia The LSU lineup was feeling it in Game 1 of the super regional vs. West Virginia. The Tigers exploded for 16 runs thanks to Steven Milam and Josh Pearson smashing grand slams. Milam's grand slam in the fifth inning made it 7-1 and put LSU in control of the game. West Virginia began to mount a comeback in the sixth inning, but Pearson's grand slam in the bottom of the sixth put the game out of reach again. When the lineup was revealed that day, some were surprised to see Pearson in the lead off spot. He did not play a big role for LSU down the stretch of the regular season, but Johnson trusted the veteran in a big spot and Pearson got it done. 5. Jared Jones home run ties the game vs Arkansas LSU's second College World Series meeting with Arkansas was an all-timer. It was a pitcher's duel for most of the night, but the lineups began trading blows late in the game. With LSU down 3-2 in the 8th inning, Jones made it back-to-back games with a home run. The ball got over the right-center wall and made it 3-3. Jones went 0-5 with five strikeouts in LSU's first contest vs. Arkansas, with Razorback pitcher Gabe Gaeckle getting the best of the LSU slugger. But Gaeckle made a mistake, leaving a fastball over the plate and it was Jones' turn to have some fun. This was the final home run for the man who ranks No. 3 on LSU's all-time home runs list. There was more drama to come in this one. 4. Luis Hernandez comes through in the ninth vs. Arkansas After Jones tied the game at three, Arkansas responded and went up 5-3 in the ninth inning. It looked like the Hogs were on the verge of forcing another game. Then Luis Hernandez got his say. Hernandez smoked a ball to left field and Razorback outfielder Charles Davalan got a bad read on it. Davalan couldn't recover and the ball got to the wall. Two runs came in to score and the game was tied. Hernandez, an Indiana State transfer, was a steady veteran presence for LSU throughout the season. When Hernandez came to the plate with runners on base in the NCAA Tournament, he wasn't phased by the pressure. 3. Casan Evans strikes out nine straight vs. Little Rock With LSU needing a win vs. Little Rock to advance to the super regional, Zac Cowan got the start for the Tigers. But the script didn't go to plan. Cowan allowed four earned runs and didn't get out of the second inning. With the season hanging in the balance, Johnson called on Casan Evans. Evans was nails out of the pen, stabilizing the game and giving the LSU offense a chance to come back. At one point, Evans struck out nine straight Trojans. The game was on easy mode for the true freshman pitcher. From the second out in the fourth to the first out of the seventh, Evans was unhittable. These proved to be some of the most important innings of LSU's 2025 season. Evans played a critical role in LSU's title run. 2. Kade Anderson throws a complete game shutout vs. Coastal Carolina LSU will take its chance vs. anyone with Kade Anderson on the mound. The sophomore lefty led the country in strikeouts and entered the conversation to be the MLB Draft's No. 1 overall pick. Anderson's best performance of the year came in his biggest start of the year. In Game 1 of the College World Series final vs. Coastal Carolina, Anderson threw nine shutout innings. Anderson issued a career-high five walks and had to pitch through traffic, but Anderson responded every time. Coastal Carolina only tagged Anderson for three hits -- all singles. Even with shaky command, the Chanticleers were struggling to put the bat on the baseball. Anderson's outing put LSU in control of the series and in position to win the title on Sunday. 1. Jared Jones hits walk-off single vs. Arkansas Jared Jones coming up with clutch hits was a theme for LSU in Omaha. It was a week full of memorable moments, but Jones' walk-off single vs. Arkansas was the biggest of all. After Luis Hernandez tied the game with a double, Jones' single to center scored Hernandez to walk it off and win the game. It was a 2-1 count and Jones got just enough air on a line drive to get the ball out of the infield. LSU capped off its 3-0 run through bracket play and punched its ticket to the College World Series final. This wasn't Jones' first walk-off vs. Arkansas in 2025. In the regular season, Jones hit a sac fly to score Ethan Frey and down the Razorbacks. If Jones doesn't come through there, LSU would have had to play Arkansas again the next day. LSU's pitching was wearing thin and even if LSU won the third round, the Tigers would have been at a disadvantage vs. Coastal Carolina in the final.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UConn, Illinois basketball finalizing Black Friday showdown at MSG
The post UConn, Illinois basketball finalizing Black Friday showdown at MSG appeared first on ClutchPoints. The UConn Huskies and the Illinois Fighting Illini are reportedly on the verge of making official a Black Friday date at Madison Square Garden in New York, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and College Hoops Today. Advertisement 'NEWS: UConn and Illinois are finalizing an agreement to meet on November 28th — Black Friday — at MSG, according to multiple sources,' Rothstein shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. The news of the matchup has left fans buzzing with reactions online. 'Should be a home and home!!!' one said. 'Illinois will just get blown out of the water in MSG like they did against Duke this year,' a fan predicted. From a different commenter: 'They want that crucial rematch 😭😭' 'We should get another game in Chicago in 2027,' an Illinois fan suggested. 'REMATCH BABY,' commented an excited fan, who's already looking forward to that Black Friday showdown in the Big Apple. Advertisement Should this game get finalized, Illinois will get a chance to score some measure of revenge against the team that eliminated it from the Elite Eight round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. In that contest, Dan Hurley's No. seed Huskies flummoxed Brad Underwood's No. 3 seed Fighting Illini on both ends of the floor to score a 77-52 victory at TD Garden in Boston. Donovan Clingan, who now plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, led the way for UConn with 22 points and 10 rebounds to go with five blocks and three steals. Marcus Domask paced Illinois with 17 points, as his team shot just 25.4 percent from the floor. The Huskies then proceeded to beat the No. 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide in the Final Four and the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers in the national championship game to successfully become two-peat champions. Having Illinois on UConn's 2024-25 assignments will strengthen the Huskies' schedule that already features non-conference games against the likes of the BYU Cougars, Arizona Wildcats, Texas Longhorns and reigning NCAA champions Florida Gators. The Fighting Illini, on the other hand, have out-of-conference games versus Alabama and Missouri. The Huskies went 24-11 in the 2024-25 season and exited the Big Dance in the second round, while the Fighting Illini put together a 22-13 record and also struck out of the national tourney in the second round.
