Basketball – Page 7 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers Claim Fourth Straight NCAA Bid

Posted on March 16, 2015

Lincoln – Nebraska’s four seniors became the first class in school history to lead the Huskers to four straight NCAA tournaments, when they were included in the field of 64 for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Monday, March 16.

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Committee announced its bracket during the NCAA Selection Show televised live by ESPN. The Huskers, who gathered with athletic staff and supporters at the Hendricks Training Complex, celebrated after hearing that they were traveling to Columbia, S.C., as a No. 9 seed for the NCAA first and second rounds.

The Huskers (21-10, 10-8 Big Ten) will begin tournament play against Syracuse (21-9, 11-5 ACC) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CT). It will be the first meeting in history between the Big Red and the Orange. Nebraska’s game will be televised nationally by ESPN2, with first-round whip-around coverage. Additional coverage will be available on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app.

First-round play at South Carolina will begin with the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks taking on 16-seed Savannah State on Friday at 4 p.m. (CT).

If the Huskers advance past the first round, they will play on Sunday, March 22 in Columbia, S.C., at a time to be announced later. The Columbia sub-regional is paired with the Chapel Hill, N.C., sub-regional in the Greensboro (N.C.) Regional, set for March 27-29. The NCAA Women’s Final Four will be held in Tampa Bay, Fla., April 5-7.

Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said the Husker seniors showed their leadership, character and resiliency by getting the Big Red back in the Big Dance despite a mid-season injury to junior All-America point guard Rachel Theriot.

“I am really proud of this team for showing the ability to overcome adversity throughout the season,” Yori said. “The seniors set the tone and found a way to get it done. We had a lot of young players go through injuries early in the season, and then we were hit hard by Rachel’s season-ending injury. They are a mentally tough group of young women, and they overcame all those challenges to go 4-3 against some really good competition down the stretch. They definitely earned the right to play in the NCAA Tournament again.”

Yori, who is in her 13th season at the helm of the Huskers, will be leading her seventh Nebraska team to the NCAA Tournament, with all seven appearances coming in the past nine seasons.

Nebraska seniors Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery, Tear’a Laudermill and Hailie Sample, led the Huskers to their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament after becoming the first class in school history to record four straight 20-win seasons. Nebraska is one of just 21 NCAA Division I teams around the nation to earn four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. Twelve schools that had advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2012, 2013 and 2014 had streaks snapped in 2015.

The Huskers, who are making their 13th overall NCAA Tournament appearance, will be searching for their ninth NCAA Tournament victory when they take on Syracuse, which tied for fourth with Duke in the final ACC regular-season standings.

The seniors have notched three of those victories, defeating Chattanooga in the first round in College Station, Texas, in 2013, before beating Texas A&M on the Aggies’ homecourt. The win over A&M sent the Huskers to their second NCAA Sweet 16.

Last year, Nebraska earned a No. 4 seed before defeating Fresno State in the opening round in Los Angeles. The senior class is 3-3 in its three previous NCAA appearances.

Nebraska was one of seven Big Ten Conference teams to earn bids to the Big Dance, joining No. 1 seed Maryland, No. 3 seed Iowa, No. 5 seed Ohio State, No. 7 seed Northwestern, No. 8 seed Rutgers and No. 8 seed Minnesota.

The Big Ten Conference has not lost an NCAA Tournament first-round game the past two years, going 6-0 in 2013 and 5-0 in 2014. Maryland, which was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference the past two seasons, also won both of its first-round NCAA Tournament games the past two years.

Nebraska’s senior class has established school records for total wins (96) and winning percentage (.733, 96-35) over the past four seasons. The group needs one more NCAA Tournament win to match the previous school best of four NCAA victories set by the 2013 class of Lindsey Moore and Meghin Williams. The 2013 class advanced to NCAA Sweet Sixteens in 2010 and 2013.

While the seniors will try to add an impressive legacy at Nebraska, several freshmen have stepped up to play major roles in Theriot’s absence this season.

Natalie Romeo has played the largest role of the group with 11 starts in Big Ten play, including nine in place of Theriot. Romeo averaged a team-leading 20 points in Nebraska’s two Big Ten Tournament games, March 5-6. She also connected on 11 three-pointers in the two games, tying the Nebraska career record for three-pointers in conference tournament action. Her seven threes against Illinois tied a school record.

Freshmen Chandler Smith, Jasmine Cincore and Emily Wood also have seen increased playing time down the stretch for the Huskers, while sophomores Allie Havers and Esther Ramacieri and junior Anya Kalenta continue to provide valuable contributions.

Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament
First appearance: 1988
Total appearances: 13
(1988, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
NCAA Tournament Record: 8-12
NCAA First-Round Record: 6-6
NCAA Sweet Sixteens: 2 (2010, 2013)
Highest Seed: No. 1 (2010)

NPCC Lady Knights Announce Junior Sports Camps

Posted on March 16, 2015

Alexa Hopping, head volleyball coach at North Platte Community College announced the dates for the Lady Knights Junior Volleyball and Basketball Camps for the summer.

The dates of the camp are June 24 – 26 for girls entering grades 3 – 5 and June 29 – July 1 for girls entering grades 6 – 8.

The volleyball camp will be from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and the basketball camp will be from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m..

The volleyball aspect of the camp will focus on basic fundamentals of volleyball such as footwork, passing, setting, serving, offensive skills and defensive skills.

The basketball aspect of the camp will focus on shooting, passing, dribbling, footwork, defense, rebounding and team play.

Cost of the camp is $50 for one camp or $65 for both camps.

Campers will receive a free camp t-shirt if application is sent in before June 8. After June 8 camp t-shirts are $10.

Brochures can be downloaded at www.npccknights.com or picked up at the Welcome Center at either campus of North Platte Community College or at The Sports Shoppe in North Platte.

For further information or questions about the camps please contact Director Alexa Hopping at (308) 386-6242.

Kentucky goes Wire to Wire as No. 1 in AP Poll

Posted on March 16, 2015

Kentucky, the overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament, is the first team in 23 years to be No. 1 in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll from the preseason rankings to the final Top 25.

The Wildcats (34-0) are looking to become the first undefeated men’s national champion since Indiana in 1976. They were a unanimous No. 1 Monday for the seventh straight week and 11th overall this season. Kentucky received all 65 first-place votes from the national media panel to match Duke in 1992 as the last team to run the table at the top.

Villanova and Wisconsin, two of the other No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, were second and third in the poll. The Wildcats moved up two places, the Badgers three. Duke, the fourth No. 1 seed, dropped two spots to No. 4. Arizona stayed at No. 5.

Virginia, which dropped from third, was sixth followed in the top 10 by Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Iowa State and Kansas. Michigan State, at No. 23, and VCU, at 25th, moved into the rankings this week, replacing Davidson and Butler.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ final 2014-15 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through March 15, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:

	Record	Pts	Prv
1. Kentucky (65)	34-0	1,625	1
2. Villanova	32-2	1,522	4
3. Wisconsin	31-3	1,460	6
4. Duke	29-4	1,406	2
5. Arizona	31-3	1,405	5
6. Virginia	29-3	1,333	3
7. Gonzaga	32-2	1,229	7
8. Notre Dame	29-5	1,178	11
9. Iowa St.	25-8	1,043	13
10. Kansas	26-8	995	9
11. N. Iowa	30-3	979	10
12. Maryland	27-6	935	8
13. Oklahoma	22-10	740	15
14. Wichita St.	28-4	737	12
15. North Carolina	24-11	703	19
16. Baylor	24-9	680	16
17. Louisville	24-8	614	14
18. SMU	27-6	485	20
19. Utah	24-8	455	17
20. West Virginia	23-9	398	18
21. Arkansas	26-8	373	21
22. Georgetown	21-10	177	23
23. Michigan St.	23-11	159	—
24. Butler	22-10	142	22
25. VCU	26-9	109	—

Others receiving votes: Oregon 91, Providence 62, Xavier 18, Davidson 16, Ohio St. 12, Stephen F. Austin 12, Wyoming 6, Boise St. 5, LSU 5, BYU 3, Valparaiso 3, Harvard 2, Murray St. 2, Wofford 2, Colorado St. 1, Dayton 1, Iowa 1, Purdue 1.

Williams and Thomas named to Region IX All Tournament Team

Posted on March 16, 2015

The National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX men’s Division I All-Tournament team was announced at the regional tournament in Powell, Wyoming. North Platte Community College Knights had two players selected to the team. They are Cameron Williams, a sophomore from Omaha South, and Matt Thomas, a freshman from Elkhorn South.

In the Region IX tournament games, Williams averaged 19 points per game in the three tournament games, had 5.3 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game.

NPCC Freshman Matt Thomas goes up for a layup against Central Wyoming in the Region IX quarterfinals. / Photo Courtesy of NWC Sports Information.

Thomas averaged 12.3 points per game in the tournament. Thomas was instrumental in the Knights 16 – 0 run at the beginning of the second half against Northwest College scoring six points in the run.

The Knights finished the season 24 – 9 and was second in the Region IX South Sub-region.

Kentucky Leads the Way

Posted on March 15, 2015

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two Wildcats, a Badger and a Blue Devil. The NCAA has announced its 68-team field for the men’s basketball tournament, and there were no major surprises when the top seeds were revealed.

As expected Kentucky is the top overall seed and No. 1 in the Midwest Region. The unbeaten Wildcats will open play Thursday in Louisville against either Manhattan or Hampton.

Kansas has the No. 2 seed in the Midwest despite its loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 title game. ACC champion Notre Dame is third, followed by Big 10 semifinalist Maryland.

The top-seed in the East is Villanova of the Big East. This is the second time ‘Nova has been a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats will face Lafayette Thursday in Pittsburgh.

Virginia is No. 2 in the East, followed by Oklahoma and Louisville. The Cavaliers had a top seed in their grasp until they lost in the ACC quarterfinals.

Duke is the top seed in the South. This marks the 13th time the Blue Devils have been a No. 1 seed. They open play Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina, against the winner of the North Florida and Robert Morris game in Dayton, Ohio.

The second seed in the South is Gonzaga, the West Coast Conference champs. Iowa State is third and Georgetown fourth.

And the top-seed in the West is Wisconsin. The Badgers are the top team from the Big Ten and will play Friday in Omaha, Nebraska against Coastal Carolina. This is the first time Wisconsin has been a top seed.

Arizona has to settle for the second seed in the West despite winning the Pac-12 title in convincing fashion. Baylor is third, followed by North Carolina.

The 68 team field is comprised of 32 teams that won automatic berths by winning a conference championship and 36 at-large schools.

The first games in the NCAA Tournament are Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio, in what the NCAA now calls the First Four.

Barton leads Nuggets to 118-111 Win over Pelicans in 2 OTs

Posted on March 15, 2015

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Will Barton scored 25 points, including the tying 3-pointer late in the first overtime, and the undermanned Denver Nuggets won their fourth straight, 118-111 over the New Orleans Pelicans in double overtime Sunday night.

Kenneth Faried had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Denver. Danilo Gallinari added 17 points, including a 3 that gave the Nuggets a 114-109 lead with 1:30 left in the second overtime.

Ty Lawson added 19 points and Jameer Nelson 18 for Denver, which won even as coach Melvin Hunt chose to rest three regulars — Wilson Chandler, Randy Foye and Darrell Arthur — so the team could get a better look at some younger players.

Anthony Davis had 36 points, 14 rebounds, nine blocks and a career-high seven assists for New Orleans, which fell a game behind Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Nuggets Rally for 114-103 Win over Short-Handed Warriors

Posted on March 13, 2015

DENVER (AP) — Kenneth Faried had 24 points and 17 rebounds, Randy Foye hit three crucial 3-pointers down the stretch and the Denver Nuggets rallied to beat short-handed Golden State 114-103 on Friday night as the Warriors rested several of their top players, including Stephen Curry.

The Nuggets pulled off an impressive double this week — beating Atlanta, the Eastern Conference leader, on Wednesday and now the Warriors, who are on top in the Western Conference. Denver also improved to 5-2 since interim coach Melvin Hunt took over for Brian Shaw.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr gave Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut the night off since the team plays Saturday at home. In addition, center Marreese Speights served a one-game suspension for pleading no contest to reckless driving.

Spotlight Shines on Bullied Cheerleader Defended by Athletes

Posted on March 13, 2015

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — The story of three Kenosha middle school basketball players defending a cheerleader who has Down syndrome is attracting a lot of attention.

The three players had heard mean-spirited comments directed at cheerleader Desiree Andrews coming from the crowd during a game last year at Lincoln Middle School. During a timeout, Chase Vazquez, Scooter Terrien and Miles Rodriguez walked off the court to address the comments.

Desiree’s father, Cliff, tells the Kenosha News (http://bit.ly/1wDYzus ) his phone has been ringing “nonstop” since the story surfaced, including calls from talk shows and news outlets. He says Desiree is “on cloud nine” with all the attention, but he says the story is really about the boys’ standing up against bullying.

Since the incident, the gym at the school has been dubbed “D’s House” in Desiree’s honor.

No. 23 Georgetown Advances in Big East with 60-55 Win

Posted on March 12, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — D’Vauntes Smith Rivera scored 25 points, including 12 of Georgetown’s final 14 of the game, and the 23rd-ranked Hoyas beat Creighton 60-55 on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

The junior guard and first-team all-conference selection took over in the last 5 minutes when the second-seeded Hoyas finally took the lead for good over the upset-minded Bluejays, who finished last in the conference. His final points were two free throws with 3.2 seconds left.

The Hoyas (21-9) will face the winner of the Xavier-Butler game in Friday night’s semifinals. It is their first semifinal appearance since 2010. Georgetown has won the tournament seven times, tying former member Connecticut for the most titles.

James Milliken led 10th-seeded Creighton (14-19) with 17 points.

Former Knight Montalvo, Texas State Upset UT-Arlington 68-62 in Sun Belt Opener

Posted on March 12, 2015March 13, 2015

Ethan Montalvo with the NPCC Knights in 2014

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Emani Gant scored 19 points, Cameron Naylor added 15 and eighth-seeded Texas State opened the Sun Belt Conference tournament Thursday with a 68-62 upset of fifth-seeded Texas-Arlington.

Wesley Davis and Ethan Montalvo added 11 points apiece for the Bobcats (14-16), who earned a matchup with fourth-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Jamel Outler had 15 points and Anthony Walker and Lonnie McClanahan had 12 points and 7 rebounds each for the Mavericks (16-15), who made 12 of 13 free throws in the second half but were just 3 of 16 on 3-pointers.

Texas State, which had never won a Sun Belt tournament game before, led 33-29 at the half and stretched that to 54-42 on a Montalvo jumper at 8:53. Then the Mavericks went on a 12-0 run to tie the game on a Kevin Hervey jumper with 5:28 to play. But after that they went 0-8 from the field and Nayor’s consecutive three-point plays and dunk secured the upset.