Georgia Fends Off Ohio State to Punch Ticket to NIT Semis

Noah Thomasson scored 21 points, including the go-ahead basket, and No. 4 seed Georgia downed No. 2 Ohio State 79-77 in the quarterfinals of the NIT on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio.

Jamison Battle’s 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Buckeyes the win hit the rim.

Georgia (20-16) will play the winner of the game Wednesday between Seton Hall and UNLV. The semifinal is April 2 at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The final is there on April 4.

Ohio State (22-14) used 17-0 run to leap ahead 70-64 after trailing by 13 points midway in the second half.

After Thomasson made it 77-76 for the Bulldogs, Battle missed a 3-pointer and Georgia’s Blue Cain made two foul shots for a three-point lead with 25 seconds left.

Thornton made one of two from the line for the Buckeyes to make it 79-77 with 19 seconds remaining, and a steal by Dale Bonner set Ohio State up for a shot with 10 seconds left coming out of a timeout.

Thornton missed a 3-pointer but after a scramble for the rebound, the ball went to Ohio State with 1.2 seconds left for the final try by Battle.

Cain had 17 points and Frank Anselem-Ibe scored 10 for the Bulldogs.

Battle led the Buckeyes with 22 points, Thornton scored 13, Felix Okpara added 12 and Roddy Gayle Jr. had 11.

The game had five ties and 13 lead changes.

Georgia played its third NIT quarterfinal and first since 1998. The Bulldogs’ best finish was advancing to the semifinals in 1982 and 1998.

This was Ohio State’s first quarterfinal since winning the tournament in 2008. The Buckeyes were also champions in 1986.

Ohio State finished 8-3 for head coach Jake Diebler since Chris Holtmann was fired on Feb. 14.

Georgia led 36-35 after an entertaining first half that had runs for both teams and plenty of dunks, especially for the Buckeyes.

Okpara led all scorers with 10 points. Of his five dunks, the first three were off alley-oops. He added another slam unassisted to give the Buckeyes a 33-32 advantage.

Gayle dunked for a 35-34 lead before Silas Demary Jr. scored on the rebound of his own shot with three seconds left to put the Bulldogs ahead going to the locker room.

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

    Continue Reading
  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

    Continue Reading
  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

    Continue Reading