MARCH 18TH UPDATE:
ACC HEADLINES:
Miles Badal Hot Shooting Helps Virginia Hold Off Upcoming Notre Dame 23-22 in Semifinal Thriller
Tanner Dye & Kellen Mack Combination Pull Off Upset of Duke 25-20 As UNC Goes To Championship Game
Syracuse & Louisville Play Great Basketball But Cuse Edges them 20-18
Virginia Overpowers Syracuse With Impressive Offense 42-25
ACC GAME STORIES:
What an incredible weekend for the ACC as there were two great semifinal games. Duke's David Stelle would lead an early comeback and 8-0 run finished off by a Ryan Pease free throw and Dylan Hall bucket. With Duke seeming to take control, Tanner Dye would go on a 5-0 run to give North Carolina a lead they would never give up. Jack Creel and David Stelle would keep Duke close, but with the score 19-18, Anthony Bukowski once again came through for UNC. Kellen Mack would seal the game with a bucket and North Carolina would pull off the upset 25-20.
Who would have thought Notre Dame would provide the biggest scare of the season for Virginia. There would be several lead changes early, but Luke Connolly would score and assist on a Quentin Wang basket to give Virginia a 12-9 lead. Anthony Boenzi would score to close the gap back to one point. Miles Badal would then get hot scoring 6 points to help overcome the duo of Tyler Shively and Evan Kamin. With score 18-17, Naren Vangavolu would make the play of the day with a big time finish and 3point play. Michael Ruiz would extend the lead to 23-17 with a free throw. It looked like Virginia would pull away but a Tyler Shively and Evan Kerr would fight to bring the Irish back. A beautiful feed from Evan to Tyler cut the lead to 4 points and Aidan Kerr would score to bring the game to 2 points. Shively would hit a free throw and the Irish were within one point and an opportunity to pull off the monster upset. The Irish would get three shots, all looking like they might fall, but it was not to be and Virginia held off Notre Dame and advanced to the Championship.
Virginia proved to be too much in the championship game with a balanced attack being too much firepower for North Carolina who pulled off two upsets to play for the title.
ACC WEEKEND WARRIORS: Every Player! I am very proud of the last weekend of the season with this group as every player contributed to their team's success. I thought it was easily the best Saturday of the season as all teams played well. Congrats to all Play Hard Hoopers for an Incredible Season!
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
Michigan St Makes Furious 11-3 Run to Stun Illinois For NIT Championship
Michigan Maintains Undefeated Season Holding Off Iowa For Big 10 Championship
BIG 10 GAME STORIES:
It was a terrific final weekend at the Kits Sports Center as there was exciting Championship Games. We had two outstanding consolation games as the kids played hard and showed the improvement they have been making all season. Wisconsin jumped off to a hot start against Purdue, and held them to some of their lowest point total this season, but a hot stretch for Purdue carried them to a 30-25 victory. Indiana has consistently hung in with teams early and this game was no different as the score was 18-16. Unfortunately Indiana just did not have enough offense most weeks to pull out the wins, an Northwestern played a great game in getting the victory.
The NIT Championship Game pitted two teams that struggled early but kept getting better each week. Graham Jackson broke an 8-8 deadlock and begin an 8-0 run that ended with Jack Miller showing a burst of speed on a drive to the hoop. Illinois was able to up the lead to 9 points at 23-14 after a Will Nordstrom 3 point play. However, Michigan St would turn the momentum around starting with free throws made by Nicholas Gast and Ethan Smith. Bear Kristan would hit an 8 foot shot to cut the lead to 5 points. Alex Pirrone would make a pretty feed to Colin Feczco and the Illini held a 25-18 advantage. Michigan St received balanced scoring throughout the game and charged back with Aidan Soukup, Lucas Lechowicz and Ethan Smith scoring to cut the lead to one point. Will Nordstrom would score and maintain a 3 point lead. Gabe Schwartz would then become the difference maker scoring 5 consecutive points to give Michigan St the lead for the first time since they were winning 2-0. Graham Jackson knocked down a free throw to cut the lead to one, but Michigan St was able to make one last defensive stand and hold on for the NIT Championship.
The Big 10 Championship would not disappoint either, but Michigan was able to hold off Iowa in the end. John Cacioppo would get an early steal and layup to give Iowa a 6-4 lead they would eventually extend to 10-4 with the help of Shiv Shani. Carter Kidd would break the momentum with a nice score on the baseline and Jackson Piggott would cut the lead to one point. Emerson Larson would score for Iowa and they would hold a 12-9 lead before it became Cole Kenyon who made the difference, Cole scored 8 consecutive points by free throw, layup and an 18 footer. Jackson Piggott would then score on a 3 point play and the game stared to get away from Iowa. The 15-0 run put Iowa behind 24-12. However, Iowa would play with great spirit being led by Trevor McGowan's 4 points and aggressive defense. Evan Peterson would make a great driving layup and Emerson would stick a free throw and a 10-0 run stunned Michigan. It would again be the hot shooting of Cole Kenyon to change the game as he stuck another 18 footer. Piggott would add a free throw shot and Michigan was able to extend to a 6 point lead. Iowa would not quit and received scores from Cacioppo and Peterson, but the time would not be on the side of the Hawkeyes and Michigan would be Big 10 Champions.
BIG 10 WEEKEND WARRIORS: All Players. While some players always stand out from week to week, I could not have been more pleased with the Championship Games and those who played in the consolation games. The improvement that so many players made this season should be recognized as much as those who stood out with their talent. Sometimes Championship Week can become sloppy and see some regression because of the heightened desire to win. I was proud of the kids for playing team basketball and attempting to play within the Play Hard Hoops System!
MARCH 11TH UPDATE
ACC HEADLINES:
Virginia Holds Off Duke For #1 Seed With 34-31 Victory
Anthony Bukowski Hits Clutch Free Throw Late to Lift North Carolina to 23-22 Win Over Louisville
Notre Dame Gets Hot Shooting From Evan Kamin To Upset Syracuse 31-20
GAME STORIES:
Notre Dame Over Syracuse 31-20: Evan Kerr would get Notre Dame started with a 10 foot jumper and serve notice that this Notre Dame team would be ready to play. Tyler Shively would score seven straight points and Notre Dame jumped out ot a 9-2 lead. Syracuse would start their own run and cut the lead to 13-12 on a Broday Aaron shot. Evan Kamin would make his 2nd free throw of the game and Anthony Boenzi would hit a 3 point play to give Notre Dame a four point lead. Both teams would go back and forth but a bucket from Carson Hamblin of Syracuse would cut the lead to 20-18. That would be as close as they would get with Evan Kamin hitting another shot, a bucket from Reid Hylton would start a 11-2 run and spot in the semifinals.
North Carolina defeats Louisville 23-22. North Carolina would make a tremendous comeback coming from seven points down late to land a spot in the semifinals. Anthony Bukowski hit a tough 3 point play early to establish he would be a force in the game and give UNC a 7-4 lead. Rowan Yarberry would take over hitting several jump shots. After a Holten Densmore shot to give Louisville a 12-11 lead, Rowan would continue to extend the lead 18-11 for Louisville. Tanner Dye would go on a 5-0 run for UNC and get UNC back in the game. However a Landon Hultman bucket would extend the lead back to 4 points and Louisville seemed poised for victory. However, a few steals and some aggressive play would lead to a Carson Badal basket and Tanner Dye would tie the game at 22 setting up the heroics of Anthony Bukowski. Bukowski calmly sank a free throw and UNC was able to hold off Louisville for the 23-22 victory.
ACC WEEKEND WARRIORS: Miles Badal, Michael Ruiz, Rowan Yarberry, Tanner Dye, Anthony Bukowski, Brody McGuire, Ryan Pease
ACC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Notre Dame Team: Tyler Shively, Evan Kamin, Jake Zordani, Landon Wysocki, Aidan & Evan Kerr, Anthony Boenzi, Reid Hylton
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
Will Nordstrom Leads Illinois Into NIT Championship With 27-17 Win Over Indiana
Michigan St Balanced Attack Holds Off Northwestern 30-26
Too Much Jackson Piggott for Wisconsin to Overcome as Michigan Defeats Wisconsin 24-19
Iowa pulls Off Upset of Purdue With Great Passing 38-28
GAME STORIES:
Iowa Defeats Purdue 38-28: Purdue has been the best offensive team this season, but Iowa put together its best offensive performance of the season to upend Purdue and get a sport in the Championship Game. Iowa jumped off to a hot start behind the play of John Cacioppo and had a 12-5 lead. Purdue would chip away getting several baskets from Kain Kretschmar and AJ Foley. Kain hit a jumper to make the score 23-20 and the momentum would be on the side of Purdue. However Shiv Shani would score 4 points and give Iowa the lead. An assist from Evan Peterson to Emerson Larson would give Iowa a 30-27 lead with 5 minutes to play. Unfortunately Purdue would go cold in the final 5 minutes and John Cacioppo would continue his hot shooting leading Iowa to the 38-28 victory and a date with #1 seed Michigan.
Michigan Wins 24-19 Over Wisconsin: Wisconsin and Michigan would battle each other neck in neck throughtout the game. Erik Troutman would give Wisconsin a 14-13 lead and an upset looked possible for the Badgers. However, Andy Marmol would score 6 points and Jackson Piggott would hit a 3 point play to lead a 11-5 run that would decide the game for Michigan.
Michigan St and Northwestern both were playing good offensive basketball early and hitting shots. Tyler Reed would score to make it a two point game and everyone was expecting a barnburner. However, Michigan St would show off its balance getting baskets from six different players in a 12-0 run. Lucas Lechowicz would then get into the scoring column and give Michigan St a 30-20 lead. Henry Culp would drill two 3 point shots for Northwestern but could not get the Wildcats all the way back. Michigan St will meet Illinois in the NIT Championship on March 18th.
Illinois Over Indiana 27-17. Connor Strauss would do what he could to give Indiana a chance, but Will Nordstrom would prove to be too much scoring 7 points to finish the game and win for Illinois 27-17.
BIG 10 WEEKEND WARRIORS: Bear Kristan, Lucas Lechowicz, Jackson Piggott, Andy Marmol, Henry Culp, Connor Strauss, Erik Troutman, Jack Miller, Will Nordstrom, Alex Pirrone, Cash Kaczmarek, Evan Peterson
BIG 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: John Cacioppo
MARCH 4TH UPDATE
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
Purdue's Zach Aaron a Shooting Machine in 46-33 Victory Over Michigan St
Emerson Larson Steps Up Down the Stretch For Iowa in 25-19 Defeat of Northwestern
Michigan Holds on Thanks To Shooting From Reid Pfeiffer 28-26 Over Illinois
Wisconsin Rides 15-3 Run to Victory Over Indiana 31-20
GAME STORIES:
Purdue 46 Michigan St 33: Zach Aaron showed off his stroke leading Purdue to an early lead. Aaron hit several jump shots frustrating Michigan St who worked hard to stop Purdue's inside game. Purdue would break out to a 22-8 lead. Michigan State would not go away quietly cutting the lead to seven points behind Gabe Schwartz and Bear Kristan. A stretch of turnovers would help Purdue extend the lead to as many as fifteen points but Ryan Redd would hit a few shots and Gabe Schwartz would continue to keep Michigan St in the game cutting the lead to 9 points. However Lucas Betz would finish what Zach Aaron started scoring 6 points late leading Purdue into the Semifinals with a 46-33 win.
Iowa 25 Northwestern 19: Two of the better defensive teams in the league squared off and the game played out how you would expect with two good help side defensive teams. Colin Chung got Northwestern off to a 4-0 lead, but Iowa then clamped down and a steal - fast break layup from Evan Peterson would give Iowa a 6-4 lead. They would continue to dominate defensively and Trevor McGowan gave Iowa an 18-10 lead late. However, Northwestern had a run of its own getting a Chung basket, a Henry Culp 3 point play and a Noah Shabaan score to cut the lead to 18-17. Emerson Larson of Iowa and Henry Culp would trade free throws and it was a one point game with less than a minute. It would be Emerson Larson who would continue to break free scoring a basket in both the half court and against the press. Iowa would hold off Northwestern 25-19 and advance to the Semifinals VS Purdue.
Michigan 28 Illinois 26: Illinois almost pulled off the biggest upset of the tourney battling Michigan to the last second. Will Nordstrom let Michigan know early they were in for a game scoring on a 3 point play to take a 5-4 lead. The teams would go back and forth until a 3 pointer from Pfeiffer and baskets from Jackson Piggott and Ben Michels would give Michigan a 15-7 lead. Ben Michels would then hit a tough bank shot to give Michigan its biggest lead of the game at 21-11. The momentum would shift to Illinois as Terry Patrinos would hit a tough running shot for a 3 point play and Alex Pirrone would cut the lead to three points. Pfeiffer would once again hit the big shot for Michigan scoring a hoop and hitting his 2nd three point shot of the game. Zach Feczco who battled some sickness would not let Michigan off the hook driving a run that would cut the lead to 2 points. Will Nordstrom would get a chance at the buzzer for the win, but could not hit the improbable shot and #1 seed Michigan advances with a deep breath to the semifinals.
Wisconsin 31 Indiana 20: Wisconsin has on a few occasions this season melted down in the last minutes, but they learned lessons from those losses and played their best basketball in the last 5 minutes going on an 8-0 run to defeat Indiana 31-20. The game went back and forth with Connor Strauss leading Indiana with some great passes and scores. A sweet move from Strauss would give his team a 17-16 lead. Wisconsin then showed off their balance getting a 3 point play from Sawyer Trullinger, a basket from Erik Troutman and a jumper from Cooper Olson to take a 23-17 lead. After Strauss was able to cut the lead to 3 points, Wisconsin played beautiful basketball on both ends to seal the victory.
BIG 10 PREVIEW:
PURDUE VS IOWA - One of the leagues best defensive teams will try to hold down the top offensive team in Purdue
MICHIGAN VS WISCONSIN - Wisconsin has been playing its best ball and will take on Michigan who is undefeated but has been winning most of its games by a slim margin
MICHIGAN ST VS NORTHWESTERN - Michigan St has been much improved and they will try to shut down a Northwestern team that can use its size to dominate the boards
INDIANA VS ILLINOIS - Two teams that play very hard will have an intense battle in the NIT Semifinals
BIG 10 WEEKEND WARRIORS: Terry Patrinos, Andrew Bloomberg, Dylan Fogelsong, Gavin Shondy, Ian Conway, Max Kirby, Emerson Larson, Ethan Smith, Carter Kidd, Henry Culp, Jack Armstrong, Zach Gorny, Alex Han, Brady Anderson
BIG 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Zachary Aaron
ACC HEADLINES:
Rowan Yarberry Drills Winning Free Throw in Louisville's Overtime Win Over Notre Dame
Virginia Rides Miles Badal's Hot Shooting to 28-16 Win Over Duke
Syracuse Controls the Game With Swarming Defense to Defeat UNC 23-16
ACC GAME OF THE WEEK: Syracuse Over UNC 23-16
It looked like North Carolina would continue its winning ways jumping out to a 6-2 lead after a Jack Crawford hoop. However, Brody Aaron would hit a tough 3 point play and then lead a defensive effort to give Syracuse control of the game. Nathan Bish and Ian Schmeltzer would team up for 6 straight points and Syracuse would never relinquish its lead again. Tanner Dye hit a tough shot to bring UNC within 3 points at 17-14. It would be Ian Schmeltzer once again scoring four consecutive points and Joshua Stephen closed out the scoring to seal the 23-16 win for the Cuse.
ACC WEEKEND WARRIORS: Ryan Pease, Jack Creel, Dylan Hall, Kellen Mack, Austin Kincade, Cate Taborek, Landon Wysocki, Reid Hylton, Brody McGuire, Grace Miller, Luke Connolly, Wesley Schweiger
ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brody Aaron
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE HEADLINES: D Leaguers Improved Defense Makes It Tough To Score In Hard Fought Game
DEV LEAGUE WEEKEND WARRIORS: Atharv Angarwal, Bennett Madsen, Dylan Lichtenberger, Kaleb Krysiac
FEBRUARY 25TH UPDATE:
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
Iowa Uses Hot Start to Defeat Michigan St 21-17
Reid Pfeifer's 3 Point Shot Gives Michigan Lead To Defeat Purdue 35-31
Tyler Olson's Big Game Gives Wisconsin Huge Win Over Northwestern
Illinois Uses Balanced Attack To Defeat Indiana 34-28
BIG 10 WEEKEND WARRIORS: Cameron Crew, Ryan Redd, Emerson Larsen, John Cacioppo, Jacob Hempfling, Andy Marmol, Ben Michels, Noah Shabaan, James Eck, Erik Troutman, Colin Feczco, Graham Jackson, Bryce Erkman
BIG 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tyler Olson
ACC HEADLINES:
Josh Meltzer Starts Hot & David Stelle Finishes North Carolina in Duke's 26-22 Victory
Virginia's Sebastian Crew Has Monster Game to Lead Cavs to Win Over Notre Dame
Syracuse Continues Improving In Come From Behind Victory Over Louisville
ACC WEEKEND WARRIORS: Anthony Bukowski, Evan Kerr, Camryn Krysiac, Daniel Culp, Sebastian Crew, Collin Gardner
ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: David Stelle
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE RECAP: D Leaguers Moving Faster Up & Down the Court In Exciting Game
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE WEEKEND WARRIORS: Ben Weibel, Amelia Stephen
FEBRUARY 18TH UPDATE - KITS SPORTS CENTER
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
Michigan St Rides Improved Offense to 34-24 Win
Northwestern Holds Off Iowa Behind Tyler Reed's Shooting with 31-26 Win
Purdue Continues to Dominate Behind Productive Offense in Win Over Wisconsin
Michigan Knocks Off Shorthanded Indiana
GAME OF THE WEEK:
Northwestern used the hot shooting of Tyler Reed to jump out to a 15-6 lead. The teams would continue to trade baskets throughout the game with several players scoring. After a Rayaan Shaikh field goal cut the Northwestern lead to 21-16, Jack Armstrong and Colin Chung answered to maintain the nine point lead. However Iowa would not go away and after a Joey Mazzuca hoop, the lead was down to 3 points at 27-24 and the momentum was on the side of the Hawkeyes. Matt Bazzoni would put a stop to the bleeding with an 8 foot baseline jumper off an out of bounds play. Evan Peterson would cut the lead back to 3 points but free throws from Tyler Reed and Colin Chung would seal the win 31-26 for Northwestern.
BIG 10 WEEKEND WARRIORS: Gabriel Schwartz, Aidan Soukup, Wyatt Jones, Jackson Piggott, Zach Gorny, Cash Rowley, Landon Veil, Rayaan Shaikh, Joey Mazzuca, Cooper Olson
BIG 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tyler Reed
ACC HEADLINES:
Tanner Dye Scores Final 8 Points for UNC to Defeat Syracuse 24-16
Virginia Upends Louisville in Hard Nosed Defensive Contest 20-14
Brock Rubicz and David Stelle Team Up to Lead Duke to 20-10 Win Over Syracuse
GAME OF THE WEEK: Carson Badal was able to get North Carolina off to a good start and Tanner Dye finished the job for North Carolina on this day. Badal gave UNC the lead at 4-0, but Notre Dame would be led by Tyler Shively who would score 6 consecutive points to give the Irish a 6-4 lead. Jack Crawford tied the game and started a 12-4 run that culminated in another Carson Badal score. Shively would once again bring Notre Dame back and after a free throw the score was 16-14 and the outcome was in doubt. However, Tanner Dye would take over hitting two big free throws and a jump shot. Anthony Boenzi would score for Notre Dame, but Dye was too much scoring 6 consecutive points and leading North Carolina to the 24-16 victory.
ACC WEEKEND WARRIORS: Carson Badal, Brock Rubicz, Anthony Boenzi, Brody Aaron, Landon Hultman, Miles Badal
ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tanner Dye
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE HEADLINES:
Despite Small Numbers D Leaguers Get After It With Improved Play Led By Logan McGuire
WEEKEND WARRIOR: Logan McGuire
FEBRUARY 11TH UPDATE - KITS SPORTS CENTER
BIG 10 HEADLINES
Reid Pfeifer Hits Clutch Free Throw to Complete Michigan Comeback Win 33-30 Over Northwestern
Purdue's AJ Foley Scores 9 Points in 5 Minutes To Lead Surge in Purdue's Victory Over Indiana
Iowa Rides Fast Start and Holds on to 33-22 Win Against Illinois
Robert Gallo Makes Huge Plays in 8-2 Run That Seals Wisconsin Victory Michigan St
GAME STORIES:
Indiana Got off to a great start with a 10-4 lead behind Connor Strauss dominating the glass. AJ Foley would not let Purdue be denied as he scored 9 points in 5 minutes to give Purdue a 23-16 lead. Purdue did not look back and would go on to win 37-22.
Iowa was able to get out in transition behind the ball handling of Evan Peterson and had a lead of 20 points before Will Nordstrom started to get going for Illinois. Illinois would cut the lead to 9 but Peterson's free throw punctuated an 11 point win 33-22.
Wisconsin and Michigan St were locked in a defensive struggle at 14 and a hustle play by Robert Gallo that led to an Erik Troutman basket broke the tie for Wisconsin. Gabe Schwartz hit a jumper to move Michigan St within 4 points and Gallo once again made the big score to seal a 22-16 win for the Badgers.
GAME OF THE WEEK:
One of the more exciting and well played games at Kits Sports Center was between Northwestern and Michigan. The Wildcates go off to a 10-2 start behind the shooting of Tyler Reed. Northwestern forced Michigan to become an outside shooting team and dominated the boards behind Matthew Bazzoni and Wyatt Jones. Northwestern maintained an eight point lead until Kellen Oxborrow of Michigan started to surge for Michigan cutting the lead to 24-28. The score was 28-26 going into the final 5 minutes of the game. Tyler Reed would score again to increase the lead to 4 points, but Carter Kidd quickly answered with an 18 foot jumper. Jackson Piggott would tie the game with a free throw and ultimately Reid Pfeiffer would hit a clutch free throw for the lead. Michigan tightened up the defense and ultimately a run out to Ben Michels gave Michigan a 3 point lead with less than 10 seconds. Northwestern did get a chance to tie the game with a 3 point shot but the ball fell a little short and Michigan stayed undefeated on the season with a gutty, come from behind win.
BIG 10 WEEKEND WARRIORS: Lucas Lechowicz, Kellen Oxborrow, Connor Strauss, Micah Hall, Matthew Bazzoni, Ryan Meyers, Will Nordstrom, Robert Gallo, AJ Foley, Lucas Betz, Evan Peterson
BIG 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Reid Pfeiffer
ACC HEADLINES:
North Carolina's Tanner Dye and Kellen Mack Combine to Knock Off Virginia 28-20
Brady Vogler Hits Go Ahead Basket in Last Seconds to Lift Duke Over Louisville 28-26
Syracuse Dominates the Glass & Nathan Bish Scores Game Winner To Defeat Notre Dame
ACC GAME STORIES:
North Carolina started the game on an 8-0 run, but Virginia answered with their own 8-0 run. It would then be the combination of Tanner Dye and Kellen Mack that would take over the game. Virginia played with great heart consistently coming back. A Quentin Wang pass to Michael Ruiz cut the North Carolina lead to 20-18. Will Conway would extend the lead back to 4 points for Syracuse and Kellen and Tanner teamed up for a 3rd time to seal the 28-20 win.
Notre Dame was looking good and riding the speed of Tyler Shively and Evan Kamin early as they jumped out to a 12-4 lead. Evan Kerr went coast to coast and helped the Irish stay ahead 16-10. Syracuse would then make a run with Josh Stephen dominating on the glass to score three baskets to tie the game at 18. Camryn Krysiac hit a go ahead shot and it looked like Syracuse would take control. However, Shively once again showed his speed hitting a short jump shot to tie the game at 22. Notre Dame won the game with their rebounding and the game winner was scored by Nathan Bish on yet another offensive rebound and a 24-22 victory.
Louisville and Duke played a thriller with neither team able to get more than a 4 point lead. Adam Bosquez scored to put Louisville ahead by 4 points at 18-14, but that quickly became reversed and after a pass from Freddie Siemens to Josh Meltzer, Duke took a 4 point lead 24-20. Bosquez would once again score to tie the game at 24 with David Stelle and Rowan Yarberry trading hoops to maintain the tie. The hero on this night would be Brady Vogler who played great defense throughout the game but ultimately won it with his offense hitting an 8 foot shot and a 28-26 thrilling win!
ACC WEEKEND WARRIORS: Tanner Dye, Will Conway, Evan Kamin, Aidan Kerr, Nathan Bish, Brady Vogler, Quentin Wang, Adam Bosquez
ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Joshua Stephen
FEBRUARY 4TH UPDATE:
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
Beautiful Passing Leads to Bryce Erkman Layup and Indiana Knocks Off Iowa 32-30
Cole Kenyon is the Difference Maker Late In Michigan's 33-25 Win Over Wisconsin
Purdue's Hot Start Too Much To Overcome For Illinois
Northwestern Overcomes Gritty Michigan St Team in 43-31 Victory
BIG 10 GAME STORIES
Two basketball States meet in a battle that didn't disappoint its fans. Shiv Shani starts Iowa off with a quick driving layup to set the tone. Trevor McGowan follows suit as Iowa takes a quick 4 - 0 lead. Indiana fights back in this seesaw battle and goes on an 8 - 0 run. Alex Han hits a big free throw, but Iowa regains the lead and is up 18 -14. Indiana's Christopher Chang rings in another two from a baseline jumper and we have tie ball game 26 to 26 with 7 mins left to play. Indiana shows great team work as Conner makes a quick pass up the floor to Evan Villinsksi who hits Bryce Erkman with a back door cut to take the lead yet again and Indiana holds on to win 32-30.
These power houses came to play today in a hard fought game that was played with speed and toughness. Michigan's Jackson Piggot and Wisconsin's Tyler Olson traded points early. Michigan jumped out to a big lead early but Olson and Sawyer Trullinger's back to back buckets keep Wisconsin within reach at halftime with the score 15 to 12. Cole Kenyon makes some big plays late in the game for Michigan and they ultimately outlasted Wisconsin 33-25
Purdue showed they came to play early as AJ Foley and Kain Kretschmar connected multiple times to help go on a 10 - 0 run within the first 10 minutes. Illinois didn't back down and showed signs of life as they hustled back on defense and worked to make plays to keep them in the ball game. Alex Pirrone cut into the lead scoring for Illinois, but despite some good shots they couldn't find the bottom of the net. Purdue was too much, crashing the boards and pushing the ball up the court. Purdue was the best shooting team on the day shooting what seemed like over 60% in the game ultimately winning 35-12.
Michigan St was missing 3 key players, but they came out blazing and working together as a team. Nicholas Gast's great passing and Bear Kristan showed toughness with a 3 point play to get the team pumped up! Northwestern couldn't seem to find a groove as Michigan St played great team defense and worked ball around to get the best shot. Northwestern's Henry Culp closed the gap getting his team within 1 point as he knocks down a beautiful looking jumper. After 20 mins of play you could see fatigue setring in for Michigan St. James Eck would hit back to back shots for Northwestern and they would ultimately pull away. 43-31. Coach Christians was extremely impressed with how Michigan St battled short handed.
BIG 10 WEEKEND WARRIORS: Jack Miller, Shiv Shani, Kain Kretschmar, Camden Sherer, Nicholas Gast, James Eck, Evan Villinski
BIG 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cole Kenyon
ACC HEADLINES:
Jack Creel Hits Game Winner For Duke In 22-21 Victory Over Notre Dame
Virginia Leads Beginning to End in Solid Victory Over Syracuse
Balanced Scoring From Louisville Holds Off North Carolina 28-26
GAME STORIES:
Notre Dame's Tyler Shively comes out blazing with 2 quick buckets to give his team a 4-0 lead. Anthony Boenzi and Evan Kamin's defense made if difficult for Duke to get easy buckets. With 5 minutes left Notre dame led 18 - 16. Big plays were made by both teams and Duke hts a big bucket to get within a point. Duke makes good use of their time outs and has the ball out of bounds with 5 seconds left to play. A great cut leads to a quick shot as stone cold Jack Creel knocks down the shot to give Duke the lead 22-21. With only 2 seconds left on the clock, ND works to get one last shot but the ball is deflected and time runs out as Duke wins an emotional game 22-21. l
Virgina takes flight and soars to a 6 - 2 lead with Naren Vangavolu and Michael Ruiz knocking down some buckets inside. Syracuse wouldn't back down as Landon Strahl picked apart the defense by driving into the paint to make some big buckets. Virginia's quick passing and aggressive defense gave them more scoring opportunities. Syracuse's Ian Schmeltzer played tough defense all game, but Virginia had different players step up and make huge plays to stay undefeated on the season.
When high energetic teams meet you get a ball game like this one. UNC Gets off to a quick lead 10 - 4 as Tanner Dye drains buckets from an array of spots on the floor. This display of scoring only lit a fire under Louisville as Rowan Yarberry and Holten Densmore lead an 8-0 run to put them ahead by 2. Both teams found contributions from several players and with 13 mins left to play Louisville leads 24 -18. North Carolina gets a lift from Anothony Bukowski and Will Conway who made huge offensive plays late to give UNC a chance. However Louisville was able to get one last big stop and hold on for the 28-26 victory
ACC WEEKEND WARRIORS: Freddie Siemens, Will Conway, Jake Zordani, Landon Strahl, Naren Vangavolu, Cooper Kaczmarek
ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rowan Yarberry
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE HEADLINE:
Improved Play and Aggressive Offensive Basketball Highlight Week 2 of the Developmental League
WEEKEND WARRIORS: Drew Koester, Colton Lichtenberger
JANUARY 28TH UPDATE:
ACC HEADLINES:
Virginia Explodes For 12-0 Run Behind Michael Ruiz Quickness to Defeat Duke 28-12
North Carolina Ride Hot Start to 24-8 Win Over Syracuse
Holten Densmore Gets Buckets to Help Louisville Hold Off Notre Dame 16-12
ACC Game Stories:
Virginia Over Duke 28-12: David Stelle scored 6 points early for Duke but with the game deadlocked at 6, Virginia took over getting scores from Josh Stephen, Michael Ruiz, Sebastian Crew and Miles Badal in a 12-0 run. Virginia continued to play good defense and cruised to a 28-12 win.
North Carolina Defeats Syracuse 24-8: UNC jumped out to an 8-0 lead and continued to build their lead throughout the game.
Louisville Knocks Off Notre Dame 16-12: Tyler Shively was all over the floor and helped keep Notre Dame close scoring to tie the game at 12. Holten Densmore had a big night and broke the tie with a basket with Louisville holding on to a 16-12 win.
ACC WEEKEND WARRIORS: Sebastian Crew, Holten Densmore, Jack Crawford, Josh Meltzer, Tyler Shively, Ian Schmeltzer
ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michael Ruiz - Virginia
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
Purdue Rolls Behind Player of the Week Cash Kaczmarek to Defeat Northwestern 42-20
Indiana Hits Two Free Throws to Defeat Michigan St 18-16
Iowa Combo of Trevor McGowan and Emerson Larson Lead Comeback 24-17 Win Over Wisconsin
Michigan Behind the Solid Play of Carter Kidd Holds Off Illinois 32-27
GAME OF THE WEEK: Iowa Over Wisconsin 24-17
Evan Peterson scored the first and last basket of the game as he got Iowa off to a quick start and 4-0 lead. Both teams played hard and tough defense, but Wisconsin behind Tyler and Cooper Olson crept back in the game. Cooper had a beautiful feed to Sawyer Trullinger to tie the game at 12 and Tyler Olson finished a 3 point play to give the Badgers the lead. Trailing 15-12 Trevor Mcgowan made 2 consecutive feeds to Emerson to get the lead. Larson then scored again to extend the lead to three points. A steal by John Cacioppo sealed the win and Peterson capped the scoring to give Iowa a 24-17 victory and 1-0 record.
BIG 10 WEEKEND WARRIORS: Bear Kristan, William Li, Colin Chung, Christopher Chang, Sawyer Trullinger, Trevor McGowan, Zach Feczco, Tyler Bi
BIG 10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cash Kaczmarek - Purdue
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE:
This was an excellent week for these ballers as we saw an increase in skills and engagement. I felt they played very hard and you could see how tired they were in the last 10 minutes of the game. I was very pleased with their teamwork and we had some “Ah Ha” moments where you couldn’t believe the ball movement and basketball IQ. This is always a great sign that things are starting to click,
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE WEEKEND WARRIORS: Drew Quagliano, Declan Haack
DECEMBER 17TH UPDATE:
Duke Gets Big-Time Effort From David Stelle in 30-14 Victory Over Louisville
Tyler Olsen Scores 4 Points Down The Stretch - UNC Knocks Off #1 Seed Syracuse 34-32
Hot Shooting From Virginia Too Much For Notre Dame in 36-26 Victory
UNC Wins Championship Holding Off Duke 26-22
GAME RECAPS:
Duke Over Louisville 30-14
Duke had 4 players score early to jump on Louisville for a 12-2 lead early. Louisville trailed 16-4 at halftime when they made a run of their own. Brady Hendon scored and then a nice move from Dylan Hall cut the lead to 18-10. It then became David Stelle's time to take over the game scoring 8 straight points to give Duke a 26-12 lead and leading them to a spot in the championship game.
UNC Defeats Syracuse 34-32
The game of the day featured two hot offensive teams and a showdown between Syracuse's top scorers Tanner Dye and Charlie Grund and the more balanced North Carolina. North Carolina maintained a small lead for much of the game but 4 points would be its largest lead as they went into halftime up 14-10 after a Carson Hablin basket. Syracuse quickly tied the game in the 2nd half behind hoops from Dye and Grund. Matthew Baartmans hit a tough shot to keep UNC on top with Tanner Dye matching UNC basket for basket. With UNC clinging to a 24-22 lead, Charlie Grund made a sweet double crossover move and Dye hit a fadeaway jumper for a 26-24 lead. With the game starting to slip away, UNC turned to Tyler Olson who hit 3 consecutive baskets giving UNC a 30-28 lead. Ultimately a 6-0 run doomed Syracuse who finally stopped the bleeding on a Joey Aryal fast break. Syracuse scored the final basket of the game, but it was 2 points short as UNC moved on to the Championship with a 34-32 win.
The consolation game saw two teams that played like they should be in the championship as hot shooting from both team saw them tied at 22-22 with just over 10 minutes in the game. Eleven of the thirteen players scored in this game, which was exciting to see. The last 10 minutes of the game saw a shooting barrage from outside for Virginia as Miles Badal, Michael Boenzi, Sebastian Crew and Sam Weibel all hit jumpers to lead Virginia to a 36-26 win.
The ACC Championship Game looked for a time that it may turn into a rout as Duke had to battle without David Stelle. Tyler Olsen and Carson Hamblin picked up where they left off in the semifinals to give UNC an early lead. Noah Ulbrich extended the lead to 8 points and after a CJ Dannegger basket for Duke, Olson pushed the lead to 10 points at halftime 18-8. Duke would not go away chipping away early in the 2nd half going on a 8-2 run. Ryan Pease, Jake Zordani, Daniel Culp and Carter Davis all scored and the game was cut to 22-18. Ulbrich and Davis traded hoops and the anticipation of a wild finish was felt in the gym. However, a beautiful pass from Tyler Olsen to Hamblin seemed fitting to put the game out of reach. UNC held on to the 26-22 victory and Championship,
Weekend Warriors: David Stelle, Ryan Pease, Noah Ulbrich, Matthew Baartmans, Rowan Yarberry, Jack Crawford, Quinten Wang, Joey Aryal, Brady Hendon, Will COnway, Miles Badal, Anthony Boenzi, Sebastian Crew, Dylan Hall, Collin Gardner, Atharv Angarwal, Carosn Badal, Cj Dannegger, Landon Strahl, Ian Schmeltzer
Players of the Week: Carter Davis, Tanner Dye,
MVP: Tyler Olsen
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
Michigan State Holds Off Hard-Charging Illinois To Win 27-22
Indiana Wins Defensive Slugfest 17-12 Over Michigan
Michigan St Wins Consolation Championship With 24-19 Win Over Wisconsin
Northwestern Stuns Indiana With 11-0 Run To Win Championship 31-24
GAME RECAPS:
Michigan St Wins 24-19 Over Illinois
Rayaan Shaikh got Michigan St off to a great start with a basket and the Spartans started the game up 10-0 before Illinois started to find itself. James Eck got Illinois on the board and Kain Kretschmar helped get llinois back in the game with several baskets. A three point play from Colin Feczco gave Michigan State a 17-10 lead and they maintained that 7 point lead after a Ryan Redd basket with 5 minutes to play. Illinois would score the next 4 points and after Jacob Hempfling's transition basket the lead was only 3 points. However the Spartans Gabe Schwartz upped the lead to 5 points and Zach Dannegger iced it with a basket and a 27-22 win and spot in the consolation championship.
Indiana Over Michigan 17-12
This defensive matchup saw tremendous intensity and tough play from all players. Lucas Lechowicz scored four consecutive points to give Indiana a 6-2 lead. However, AJ Foley was coring early and a free throw from Eric Troutman tied the game at 8 points. Cash Kaczmarek would give Indiana the lead for good with a free throw of his own and Cooper Olson would extend the lead with a jumper for a 14-8 lead with 5 minutes. Michigan left nothing on the floor and baskets by Christopher Chang and Evan Peterson cut the lead to 4 points, but Tyler Olson hit a free throw to seal the win 17-12 and a date with Northwestern in the Championship.
Michigan St Wins Consolation Championship 24-19 Over Wisconsin
Michigan St rode some momentum off their Semifinal Victory with Gabe Schwartz leading the way. Ryan Redd hit an outside jumper for a 12-6 lead. The Michigan St lead was 16-9 when Wisconsin made a run getting points from leading scorer Dylan Fogelsong, Ben Michels and Jack Armstrong. Gabe Schwartz led an 8-2 run of their own and Michigan St held a 24-17 lead with 5 minutes. Reid Pfeiffer was able to score for Wisconsin but could not muster any more points and the Spartans held on to a 24-19 Consolation Championship.
Northwestern Wins Championship 31-24 Over Indiana
Indiana continued its hot play jumping Northwestern 8-0. Cooper Olson and Tyler Olson both led the early charge. Northwestern got baskets from Colin Chung and and Landon Veil to stop the bleeding and then the combination of Tyler Reed, Emerson Larson and Henry Culp started to get going. However, Cooper Olson continued to his hot shooting and kept Indiana in front 16-10. An offensive rebound putback by Tyler Reed completed a 10-0 Northwestern run and they looked on their way with a 20-16 lead. However, an 8-0 run by Indiana was highlighted by a Cash Kaczmarek bucket and Indiana was back in front 24-20 with 5 minutes to play. Aiden Soukup cut the lead to one quickly with a sweet 3 point play and then Henry Culp proved why he is the Big 10 MVP with 2 baskets and an assist to Emerson Larson. Indiana ran out of gas playing two consecutive games and Northwestern goes on to win the championship 31-24.
Weekend Warriors: Tyler Reed, Aiden Soukup, Joey Mazzuca, Evan Peterson, Reid Pfeiffer, Ben Michels, Tyler Olson, Lucas Lechowicz, Ryan Redd, Cameron Crew, James Eck, Jacob Hempfling
Players of the Week: Cooper Olson, Dylan Fogelsong, Gabe Schwarz
MVP: Henry Culp
DECEMBER 10TH UPDATE
ACC DIVISION HEADLINES:
Duke Gets Off To Hot Start & Holds On To Beat Virginia 27-18
Tyler Olson Scores Final 4 Points of the Game Including Overtime To Lead North Carolina Over Notre Dame 28-26
Syracuse Behind the Dominant Play of Tanner Dye and Charlie Grund Secure #1 Seed in Win Over Louisville
ACC DIVISION RECAPS:
Duke Over Virginia 27-18: A balanced attack from Duke and a hot start proved too much for Virginia. CJ Dannegger and Jake Zordani each scored hoops giving Duke a 14-4 early lead. Virginia behind Miles Badal and Anthony Boenzi cut the halftime deficit to 4 points after a 6-0 run. Duke's David Stelle broke the 6-0 run with the first basket of the 2nd half and an impressive 3 point play from Daniel Culp gave Duke a commanding 19-10 lead. Anthony Boenzi drilled a deep shot to cut the score to 23-16 but Carter Davis hit a jumper of his own to seal the win for Duke and a semifinal matchup with Louisville.
North Carolina Defeats Notre Dame 28-26 in overtime
The game of the day featured a tremendous game between UNC & Notre Dame. Tyler Olsen hit the first four points of the game and the final four points. Cooper Kaczmarek and Anthony Bukowski hit several shots early to keep Notre Dame in the game and a bucket from Lucas Hovinen of Notre Dame gave them a 16-14 halftime lead. Anthony Bukowski hit a shot for Notre Dame to begin the 2nd half and then North Carolina took over. Ian Schmeltzer made a sweet pass to Josh Meltzer to tie the game at 18. Carson Hamblin was all over the floor offensively and defensively for UNC and hit a shot to give the TarHeels a 20-18 lead. Before Notre Dame could get themselves together a 10-0 run gave UNC a 24-18 lead. It now became Notre Dame's turn to go on a run. Lucas Hovinen sparked the run to cut the lead to two points and Rowan Yarberry hit a tough shot to tie the game. Hovinen continued his hot streak drilling a free throw for a two point lead with just over a minute to play. However, this all set up for Tyler Olsen to be the hero as he stole the ball and scored to tie the game with 10 seconds to play. The game went to sudden death overtime where Olsen hit a tough running shot while also being fouled to win the most exciting game of the day. UNC will take on Syracuse in the Semifinals.
Syracuse Knocks Off Louisville 30-14
In a game to secure the #1 seed, the combination of Tanner Dye and Charlie Grund proved to be too much. Grund and Alex Hinojosa helped the Cuse to a 12-2 lead early. Louisville's leader Brady Hendon and Collin Gardner made a charge to keep Louisvlle close at 12-6. Louisville's Grace Miller hit a shot trying to instill some momentum for the Cardinals. However, with the score 18-8, Tanner Dye took over and scored 6 straight points to give the Cuse a commanding 16 point lead that they maintained to the final buzzer. Notre Dame and Virginia will play in the consolation game while Syracuse will take on UNC in the semifinals. Louisville will take on up and coming Duke in the other semifinal game with the winners meeting on Championship Saturday at the Kits Sports Center.
Weekend Warriors: Daniel Culp, Jake Zordani, Josh Meltzer, Anthony Bukowski, Lucas Hovinen, Charlie Grund Alex Hinojosa, Landon Hultman, Nathan Bish, Grace Miller, Holten Densmore
Player of the Week: Tyler Olsen
BIG 10 HEADLINES:
AJ Foley the Difference Maker Late as Michigan Holds Off Wisconsin in 32-30 Barnburner
Ethan Smith Leads Indiana From Behind n 30-21 Victory over Michigan St
Northwestern Secures Bye Into Championship Game With Dominating Defensive Performance over Illinois
BIG 10 RECAPS:
Michigan Nips Wisconsin 32-30: In a game that was close throughout both teams displayed balanced scoring. Wisconsin's Brady Anderson and Michigan's Christopher Change exchanged hoops as both teams mustered 8 points in the early part of the game. Shiv Shani gave Michigan a 12-8 lead and Michigan seemingly had mommentum when Dylan Fogelsong led an 8-0 run with six of the eight points. Reid Pfeiffer scored as well and Wisconsin had a 16-12 lead. Shiv Shani continued to score big buckets and kept Michigan in the game and the score was 20-18 at half. The 2nd half became a more defensive battle with both teams struggling to score, but AJ Foley got hot to steal back the momentum for Michigan hitting two big shots and the game was tied up at 24-24. Shani put Michigan ahead and Eric Troutman closed out the 10-0 run. Wisconsin would not give in and scored quickly to cut the lead to 30-26. However, Foley hit another big shot which was just enough to hold off a furious run by Dylan Fogelsong in a 32-30 victory. Michigan will take on Indiana in the Semifinals next Saturday at Kits!
Indiana Overcomes Michigan St 30-21
Another close, competitive game throughout that saw several lead changes early. Treveor McGowan gave Indiana a 6-2 lead early. However Gabe Schwartz consistently kept his team afloat and hit a shot to cut the lead to one at 10-9. Ryan Redd and Cameron Crew scored baskets and Michigan St held on to a slim 17-16 lead at the half. Colin Feczco scored the first basket of the 2nd half for MSU, but it was Ethan Smith's time to shine. Smith scored 6 consecutive points to seize the lead for Indiana. Consective buckets from Cash Kaczmarek and Trevor McGowan completed the 6-0 run. The defense of Indiana clamped down on MSU the rest of the way holding them to only 4 points in the 2nd half en route to a 30-21 victory and Semifinal Appearance.
Northwestern Dominates Illinois
Illinois hit a few jump shots early as Chase Mendygral and Kain Kretschmar connected from outside. However, Northwestern continued to force jumpers and Illinois could not convert enough shots to hang in with the #1 seed northwestern. A balanced attack from Northwestern opened the game up as all players hit the scoring column for Northwestern. Colin Chung and Tyler Reed attacked the hoop, the help side defense of Henry Culp and rebounding of Emerson Larson secured a bye into the Championship next Saturday at Kits Sports Center.
Weekend Warriors: Emerson Larson, Colin Chung, Christopher Chang, Wyatt Jones, Brady Anderson, Charlie Connolly, Cash Kaczmarek, Gabe Schwartz, Zach Dannegger, Kain Kretschmar, William Li
Player of the Week: Ethan Smith
DECEMBER 3RD UPDATE:
Big 10 Division:
Reid Pfeiffer's Hot Start Helps Dylan Fogelsong Lead Wisconsin Past Michigan St 31-21
Cooper Olson's Clutch Free Throw Gives Indiana 27-26 Win Over Illinois In Nailbiter
Henry Culp Proves To Be Too Much On The Boards and Northwestern Stays Undefeated in 28-22Win Over Michigan
Weekend Warriors:Noah Shabaan, Henry Culp, AJ Foley, Micah Hall, Cooper Olson
Player of the Week: Dylan Fogelsong
ACC Division:
Virginia Behind a Balanced Attack Holds off North Carolina 22-14
Notre Dame Knocks Louisville From Undefeated Season in 15-14 Barnburner
Tanner Dye's Monster Night Leads Syracuse to 30-21 Victory over Duke
Weekend Warriors: Carter Benson, Sam Weibel, Cooper Kaczmarek, Brock Rubicz,Carson Hamblin
Player of the Week: Tanner Dye
The Playoffs Begin December 10th at the Kits Sports Center - Do not Miss the Action!