Saturday, March 25, 2023

NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: Elite 8 Predictions











Photo and story by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 19, 2023) The Elite 8 round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will  take place on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26 are listed below. My predictions are below:

Saturday, March 25 

  • No. 3 Kansas State over No. 9 Florida Atlantic 
  • No. 3 Gonzaga over No. 4 UConn

Sunday, March 26 

  • No. 5 San Diego State over No. 6 Creighton 
  • No. 2 Texas over No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 


Sweet Sixteen Results from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships.














Photo and story Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 25, 2023) The eight games in the of Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on  March 23-24 are completed.  My predictionsm which are underlined, saw six correct outcomes, and two upsets. 

Thursday, March 23 

  • No. 3 Kansas State 98, No. 7 Michigan State 93
  • No. 4 UConn 88, No. 8 Arkansas 65 
  • No. 9 Florida Atlantic 62, No. 4 Tennessee 55 
  • No. 3 Gonzaga 79, No. 2 UCLA 76

Friday, March 24

  •  No. 5 San Diego State 71, No. 1 Alabama 64  
  •  No. 5 Miami 89, No. 1 Houston 75
  • No. 6 Creighton 80, No. 15 Princeton 75
  • No. 2 Texas 83, No. 3 Xavier 71

On Th,is Day in Sports History, March 25, 1967














By Chris Price
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved


LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY (March 25, 1967, actual date) On this day in sports history, March 25, 1967, at the 29th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: UCLA beats Dayton, 79-64; Bruins center Lew Alcindor (later named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player. He is the only player to have received the award three time (1967, 1968, 1969).

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: Sweet 16 Predictions












Photo and story by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 19, 2023) The Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will continue at various sites around the United States. The eight games that will take place on  Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 are listed below. My predictions are below:

Thursday, March 23 

Friday, March 24

Sunday, March 19, 2023

NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: March 19, 2023 Predictions


 








Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 19, 2023) The second round of games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will continue at various sites around the United States. The eight games that will take place on Saturday, March 19, 2023 are listed below. My predictions, along with game times (EDT), and broadcast networks are also indicated.

No. 3 Xavier over No. 11 Pitt | 12:10 p.m. | CBS
No. 3 Gonzaga over No. 6 TCU | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

Saturday, March 18, 2023

RESULTS: Second Round, Day 1 Results from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships.








PASADENA, TEXAS (March 18, 2023) The first slate of eight games in the second of  the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 18 are completed.  My predictions saw five correct outcomes, broken down by correct predictions and three upsets (My picks. They are underlined).


CORRECT SELECTIONS

No. 5 San Diego State 75, No. 13 Furman 52  

No. 1 Houston 81,  No. 9 Auburn 64  

No. 2 Texas 71,  No. 10 Penn State 

No. 2 UCLA 68,  No. 7 Northwestern 63 

No. 1 Alabama 73, No. 8 Maryland 51


INCORRECT SELECTIONS

No. 4 Tennessee 65, No. 5 Duke 52 

No. 8 Arkansas 72, No. 1 Kansas 71  

No. 15 Princeton 78, No. 7 Missouri 63   

Houston Dynamo FC downs in-state rival Austin 2-0

 

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved


By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 18, 2023) Two second half goals gave Houston Dynamo FC a lead that Austin FC was unable to and led Houston to a 2-0 win at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday night. The win gave Houston their second victory over Austin at home and their second win against theor in-state rival in the all-time series.

The first goal came in the 71st minute when forward Amine Bassi scored with a penalty spot as a results of the video assistant referee confirming that an Austin defender handled the ball with his arm inside the box. It was the first goal for the Dynamo from the French native.

The second Houston goal came 15 minutes later, in the 86th minute, when captain Hector Herrera switched the ball at the edge of the box. His pass to defender Griffin Dorsey created space for the captain to run between two defenders and beat the Austin shot stopper with a one-touch finish toward the near post.  

Head coach Ben Olsen stated in the post-game press conference:

“Almost as important it is to put up shutouts, so it's great all around. Defensively, we don't tell those guys enough. I felt Teenage (Hadebe) was really good, and Ethan (Bartlow) had his best game. I’m proud of those guys to keep a high, high scoring team off the board. For Hector (Herrera) to score a goal and to get on the board and also Bassi is a big deal one out of the run of play, you know, another set piece – PK. So all in all, good night, we're gonna enjoy it because it's our first one. It's nice to get that monkey off our back and then we're gonna get back to work and hopefully get better.” 

The win also gave Olsen his first victory with the Dynamo and further gave Houston their 186th win in regular season play and their 138th win in regular season play at home.

Herrera also was questioned after the game about the changes in the second half. He stated:

“I thought we did a good job of controlling the match. They nearly scored a goal and that is what makes us lose a lot of games. At the half we knew that we were managing the game correctly. We also needed to increase the intensity and energy to get the result we wanted. We came out in the second half with that mentality, and we took advantage from that point on. We could have scored more transition goals.” 

The win raises the Dynamo's record to 1-2 for the season before a Saturday, March 25 match at home against New York City FC (2-1-1).

Readers may click here to view photos from the match by Darla Tamulitis of La Vita Loca Photography.




NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: March 18, 2023 Predictions










Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 17, 2023) The second round of games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will continue at various sites around the United States. The eight games that will take place on Saturday, March 18, 2023 are listed below. My predictions, along with game times (EDT), and broadcast networks are also indicated.

No. 5 San Diego State over No. 13 Furman | 12:10 p.m. | CBS

No. 5 Duke over No. 4 Tennessee  | 2:40 p.m. | CBS

No. 1 Kansas over No. 8 Arkansas |  5:15 p.m. | CBS

 No. 7 Missouri over No. 15 Princeton | 6:10 p.m. | TNT

No. 1 Houston over  No. 9 Auburn | 7:10 p.m. | TBS

No. 2 Texas over  No. 10 Penn State | 7:45 p.m. | CBS

No. 2 UCLA over No. 7 Northwestern | 8:40 p.m. | TNT

No. 1 Alabama over No. 8 Maryland | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

Friday, March 17, 2023

RESULTS: First Round, Day 2 Results from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships.










Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 17, 2023) The second slate of 16 games in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday, March 17 are completed.  My predictions saw 12 correct outcomes with four of my selections fall. The results of these games are below, broken down by correct predictions and five upsets (My picks. They are underlined).

CORRECT PREDICTIONS

No. 7 Michigan State 72,  No. 10 USC 62  
No. 3 Xavier 72, No.14 Kennesaw St. 36  
No. 3 Baylor 74, No.14 UC Santa Barbara 56  
No. 5 Saint Mary's 63, No. 12 VCU 51  
No. 2 Marquette 78,  No. 15 Vermont 61  
No. 4 UConn 87,  No. 13 Iona  63  
No. 6 Kentucky 61,  over No. 11 Providence 53  
No. 5 Miami 63,  No.12 Drake 56  
No. 3 Gonzaga 82,  No. 14 Grand Canyon 70 
No. 3 Kansas St. 77,  No. 14 Montana St. 76  
No. 4 Indiana 71,  No. 13 Kent State 60  
No. 6 TCU 72, No. 11 Arizona State 70  

INCORRECT PREDICTIONS

No. 11 Pitt 59, No. 6 Iowa State 41  
No. 6 Creighton 72, No. 11 NC State 53   
No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson  63, No. 1 Purdue 58  
No. 9 Florida Atlantic 66,  No. 8 Memphis 65  

NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: March 17, 2023 Predictions



Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 17, 2023) The first round of games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will begin at various sites around the United States. The sixteen games that will take place on Thursday, March 17, 2023 are listed below. My predictions, along with game times (EDT), and broadcast networks are also indicated.

No. 7 Michigan State over No. 10 USC | 12:15 p.m. |CBS 

No. 3 Xavier over No. 14 Kennesaw St. | 12:40 p.m. | truTV 

No. 3 Baylor over No. 14 UC Santa Barbara  | 1:30 p.m. | TNT 

No. 5 Saint Mary's over No. 12 VCU | 2 p.m. | TBS

No. 2 Marquette over No. 15 Vermont | 2:45 p.m. | CBS 

No. 6 Iowa State  over No. 11 Pitt | 3:10 p.m. | truTV 

No. 11 NC State over.No. 6 Creighton| 4 p.m. | TNT 

No. 4 UConn over No. 13 Iona | 4:30 p.m. | TBS

No. 1 Purdue over No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson  | 6:50 p.m. | TNT 

No. 6 Kentucky over No. 11 Providence | 7:10 p.m. | CBS 

No. 12 Drake vs. No. 5 Miami | 7:25 p.m | TBS 

No. 3 Gonzaga over No. 14 Grand Canyon| 7:35 p.m. | truTV 

No. 8 Memphis over No. 9 Florida Atlantic | 9:20 p.m.| TNT

No. 3 Kansas St. over No. 14 Montana St. | 9:40 p.m. | CBS 

No. 4 Indiana over No. 13 Kent State  | 9:55 p.m. | TBS 

No. 6 TCU over No. 11 Arizona State | 10:05 p.m. | truTV



Thursday, March 16, 2023

RESULTS: First Round, Day 1 Results from NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships.


Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 16, 2023) The first slate of 16 games in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships are completed My predictions saw 11 correct outcomes with five of my selections fall. The results of these games are below, broken down by correct predictions and five upsets (By MY picks. They are underlined).

CORRECT PREDICTIONS

No. 7 Missouri 76,  No. 10 Utah State 65  
No. 1 Kansas 86,  No. 16 Howard 58 
No. 1 Alabama 96, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 74  
No. 5 San Diego State 63, No. 12 College of Charleston  57 
No. 8 Arkansas 73,  No. 9 Illinois 63  
No. 5 Duke  74, No. 12 Oral Roberts 51  
No. 2 Texas  81,  No. 15 Colgate 61  
No. 7 Northwestern 75,  No. 10 Boise State 67  
No. 1 Houston 63,  No. 16 Northern Kentucky 52  
No. 4 Tennessee 58, No. 13 Louisiana 55  
No. 2 UCLA 86, No. 15 UNC Asheville 53  

UPSETS
No. 9 West Virginia  65,  8 Maryland  67  
No. 4 Virginia 67,  No. 13 Furman 68 
No. 2 Arizona  55, No. 15 Princeton 59 
No. 8 Iowa 75,  No. 9 Auburn 83  
No. 7 Texas A&M 59,  No. 10 Penn State 76  

The biggest upset of the day was No. 15 Princeton knocking off No. 2 Arizona by the score of 68-67. The last time the Tigers won a NCAA Tournament was 1998, when they defeated UNLV 69-57 in the first round.


NCAA DI Men's Basketball Tournament: March 16, 2023 Predictions




















By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 16, 2023) The first round of games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament will begin at various sites around the United States. The sixteen games that will take place on Thursday, March 16, 2023 is listed below. My predictions, along with game times (EDT), and broadcast networks are also indicated.

12:15 p.m. — No. 9 West Virginia over No. 8 Maryland  (CBS)
12:40 p.m. — No. 4 Virginia over No. 13 Furman (truTV)
1:40 p.m. — No. 7 Missouri over No. 10 Utah State (TNT)
2 :00p.m. — No. 1 Kansas over No. 16 Howard (TBS)
2:45 p.m. — No. 1 Alabama over No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi (CBS)
3:10 p.m. — No. 5 San Diego State over No. 12 College of Charleston (truTV)
4:10 p.m. — No. 2 Arizona over No. 15 Princeton (TNT)
4:30 p.m. — No. 8 Arkansas over No. 9 Illinois (TBS)
6:50 p.m. — No. 8 Iowa over No. 9 Auburn (TNT)
7:10 p.m. — No. 5 Duke  over No. 12 Oral Roberts (CBS)
7:25 p.m. — No. 2 Texas  over No. 15 Colgate (TBS)
7:35 p.m. — No. 7 Northwestern over No. 10 Boise State (truTV)
9:20 p.m. — No. 1 Houston over No. 16 Northern Kentucky (TNT)
9:40 p.m. — No. 4 Tennessee over No. 13 Louisiana (CBS)
9:55 p.m. — No. 7 Texas A&M over No. 10 Penn State (TBS)
10:05 p.m. — No. 2 UCLA over No. 15 UNC Asheville (truTV)




Wednesday, March 15, 2023

NCAA March Madness: First Four Results


















By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved 

DAYTON, OHIO (March 15, 2023) The results from the First Four (play-in games) of the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament. 

#16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 75, #16 SE Missouri State 71 (next opponent: #1 Alabama on Thursday, March 16)

#11 Pittsburgh over #11 Mississippi State (next opponent: No. 6 Iowa State on Friday, March 17)

#11 Arizona State 98, #11 Nevada 73 (next opponent: No. 6 TCU on Friday, March 17)

#16  Fairleigh Dickinson 84,  #16 Texas Southern 61 (next opponent: #1 Purdue on Friday, March 17)

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

NCAA March Madness First Four Picks






















By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, TEXAS (March 14, 2023) Below are my picks for the First Four games of the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

#16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi over # 16 SE Missouri State

#11 Pittsburgh over #11 Mississippi State

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

#11 Arizona State over #11 Nevada

#16 Texas Southern over #16 Fairleigh Dickinson

Houston Texans to sign UH ex Case Keenum

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved
By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS It is being reported by Gallery Sports and Sports Radio 610 writer John McClain that the Houston Texans have agreed to sign former Houston Cougar Case Keenum to a two-year contract as their backup quarterback. The deal can't become official until the start of free agency on Wednesday. This will be Keenum's third tour with the Texans. He played in 2012-13 under Gary Kubiak and in 2014 under Bill O'Brien.

Monday, March 13, 2023

Chris Beard named head basketball coach at Ole Miss

Photo by SneakinDeacon - Flickr,
CC BY-SA 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.
php?curid=90042438
By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

UNIVERSITY, MISSISSIPPI (March 13, 2023) It is being reported by various news outlets that former University of Texas at Austin head basketball coach Mike Beard had been hired as the new men's head coach at Ole Miss.

It was reported last week by ESPN the he was the leading candidate for the job to replace  Kermit Davis wh0 was terminated on February 24. Davis went 74-79 over five seasons and failed to reach the NCAA tournament after his first season in the position.

Beard was fired by the Longhorns in January following an arrest December 12. His fiancĂ©e, Randi Trew, called 911 and told officers that he choked and hit her when the two got in an argument, according to authorities in Austin. Charged were dropped on February 15.

You can read the press release from Ole Miss announcing his hire by clicking here.

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Memphis Wins American Men’s Basketball Championship

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (March 12, 2023) Kendric Davis scored 31 points, including 14 in a big run before halftime, and second-seeded Memphis held on to beat No. 1 Houston 75-65 in the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game Sunday.

 

DeAndre Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds for coach Penny Hardaway and the Tigers (26-8), who got the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. They are going to March Madness for the second year in a row.

 

The Cougars (31-3) beat Memphis 71-53 in last year’s AAC tournament championship game, and won both regular-season matchups this season.

 

J’Wan Roberts had 12 points and 20 rebounds for Houston. Jamal Shead had 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting, and Jarace Walker had 13 points before fouling out.

 

The Cougars trailed by 18 at halftime, but got within 55-50 with 11:03 left after Shead scored eight points in a row for them in a two-minute span. His 3-pointer capped a 12-1 run, and he made another long-range shot before two free throws, but that was the closest Houston would get.

 

Memphis had taken control with a 16-2 run in the first half. Davis had all but two of those points and made two 3-pointers only 9 seconds apart.

 

That big spurt started on a fast-break layup by Davis with just under eight minutes left. Davis made a 3, and then Alex Lomax made a backcourt steal and passed to Davis at the top of the key for another 3. By time Davis made another fast-break layup with 3:36 left, the Tigers had doubled up Houston, 40-20.

 

Houston was selected as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region and will open the NCAA Tournament against No. 16 seed Northern Kentucky (22-12) in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 16 at 9:20 p.m. ET/8:20 p.m. CT on TNT. The Cougars are the first squad from The American to earn a No. 1 seed.

 

Memphis will be headed to Columbus, Ohio as the No. 8 seed in the East Region and will take on ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic (31-3) on Friday, March 17 at 9:20 p.m. ET/8:20 p.m. CT on TNT.

Friday, March 10, 2023

HCU Huskies to host Southland Showcase beach volleyball tourney

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved
By Robert H Kelly 
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXS (March 10, 2023) The HCU Huskies will host five schools beginning on Saturday, March 11 at Third Coast Volleyball in the Southland Showcase Beach Volleyball Tournament. The Huskies will face fellow Southland Conference beach volleyball teams from Nicholls State, San Jose State, Boise State, Southeastern, and New Orleans to the sand courts in southwest Houston.

The Huskies (2-6) will first face Nicholls State (2-6) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, followed by San Jose State (4-0) at 3 p.m. On Sunday, they kickoff at 9 a.m. against Boise State (6-2) with a matchup against Southeastern (3-6) at 1 p.m. They will close out the action against New Orleans (5-3) at 3 p.m.

HCU is coming off a 2-3 loss to Boise State on March 5.