KUAD image
2/8/14, 3:15 PM
KU jersey (fire emoji)
@BRush_25
2/8/14, 2:37 PM
The K-State-Texas final score goes up on the video board at Allen Fieldhouse, and there's some polite applause.
@rustindodd
#OleMiss-#Mizzou score just got displayed on the Phog's video board. Third-loudest cheer all day.
@SeanKeeler
2/8/14, 3:58 PM
Yeahhhhhh #wiggins mean putback
@joshselby32
Frank Mason doing pushups on the sideline while waiting to check in. That right there is the definition of No Days Off.
@Schustee19
Ankles = broken. RT @marshallartist Frank Mason. vine.co/v/MWmZ7L31emm (via @rustindodd)
@JeffEisenberg
Sorry about your ankles, sir. gph.is/1fTyaOd
@SBNationGIF
Joel Embiid has played 17 minutes. Joel Embiid has a double-double. #Facts #KUbball
@Schustee19
Kansas has drawn 6 charges this season, Tarik Black has 5 of them.
@KUGameday
Andrew Wiggins has gone to the line at least 10 times in three of the past six games. That's a great sign for KU fans.
@GoodmanESPN
@KUHoops defeats @WVUhoops 83-69. Jayhawks have now won 111 in a row at Allen Fieldhouse vs. unranked opponents.
@Big12Conference
S/O #KUCMB on the W today!! #SAVAGESQUAD
@K_Ctmd22
"Overall, we're a better team than we were," Eron Harris said after the game. "Ten times better game than it was last year and I'm proud of my teammates and I can't wait to play them again at home."
That's the beauty of this double round-robin schedule. A team that got away the first time is still fair game later in the season. West Virginia's players and coaches said similar things after a 22-point loss at Kansas State and when the Wildcats visited Morgantown, the Mountaineers were able to return the favor.
The Jayhawks don't make their trip to the hills of West Virginia until March 8, but you can bet it's a date Harris and his teammates have circled on their calendars.
Huggins appears to be right there on the same page with his players.
"I just told them in there we're going to win in Morgantown," the head coach said on his radio show. "When they come back to Morgantown, we're going to win. We're going to figure out how to win."
WVI
With the bulk of the blue-and-gold-clad Mountaineers supporters stacked three or four rows deep in the rafters of the southwest corner of the arena, the loud-and-proud WVU fans that made the 900-mile trip to Lawrence let their presence be known throughout the game. The Mountaineers players heard them.
“It helped us,” said WVU junior Remi Dibo, who finished with seven points and three rebounds in 17 frustration-filled minutes. “I think it just shows how supportive the people of West Virginia are of their players. One thing's for sure, I got support from it. And it was great to feel that in a hostile environment.”
LJW
“It’s a real asset,” Wayne Selden said of KU’s bench after a hot shooting day that resulted in 17 points. “It really showed tonight, how Jamari (Traylor), Frank, even Brannen (Greene), everybody was able to come off the bench and give us a spark of energy and get us rolling.”
KU coach Bill Self shows deep faith in his reserves and that resulted in them playing with ever-growing confidence.
“No matter who’s on the court, we should be able to do the same things,” Selden said.
Embiid’s foul trouble and Ellis’ flat performance led Self to pair Black and Traylor, who so often seem to bring out the best in each other.
They combined to play 39 minutes and produce 18 points and seven rebounds. They shot a combined 6 for 6 from the field and 6 for 9 from the line.
“We’re just used to practicing with each other every day,” Black said of the chemistry that he and Traylor exhibit. “We’re used to hanging out with each other. It’s just a friendship and a bond that everybody has on the team. Ours is just a little higher because we’re used to practicing with one another every day.”
LJW
Late in the second half, KU freshman guard Frank Mason was at the scorer’s table quietly doing a couple of pushups. It was a strange scene, but perhaps it made sense.
“I just felt like doing some,” said Mason, who also provided a spark with five assists in the first half.
Mason finished with five points, while junior guard Naadir Tharpe (five points) struggled on offense. Mason also added the highlight of the first half, crossing over West Virginia’s Gary Browne in transition and leaving him awkwardly falling to the floor.
“If you were going to pick three guys and say who was the most valuable player in the game, I’d definitely take Frank, Jamari (Traylor) and Tarik (Black),” coach Bill Self said. “They were great in the first half.”
KC Star
Without naming anyone, Bill Self said a couple Jayhawk starters didn’t start the game with the energy level they need. That’s where Traylor and Black come in.
“We didn’t have a dropoff at all,” Self said. “That turned out to be real positive for us.”
It can be positive outside of the final score as well. With KU playing at Kansas State on Monday, just 48 hours after Saturday’s meeting, the Jayhawks have the luxury of not playing their starters for the entirety of the game.
West Virginia, who also plays Monday, played both Eron Harris and Juwan Staten 39 minutes. No team wants its starters running that long two nights before another game.
“The hard part about not having depth is we have to play Staten so long, we have to play Harris so long,” WVU’s Bob Huggins said. “It may affect us Monday.”
Both Perry Ellis and Joel Embiid played 21 and 17 minutes, respectively, nearly mirroring the time Traylor and Black spent on the court.
TCJ
Somewhere along the line, people have started calling Traylor and senior forward Tarik Black “The Bruise Brothers,” and Traylor was pondering the new tag.
“I don’t really like it,” said Traylor, an explosive sophomore forward. “But I’ll roll with it if somebody thought of giving me a nickname. I’ll roll with it.”
…“It’s a cool nickname and it fits us,” said Black, who finished with 11 points and four rebounds. “We go out there and play hard.”
The chemistry between the two reserves, Traylor says, started to come together during the long practice sessions over winter break. Embiid and Ellis usually take most of the reps with the starting five, so Traylor and Black are often on the same team during practice. At times, it can feel a little like watching a hockey line change with two enforcers, two players that share the same traits: Strength, toughness, desire.
When Black and Traylor start flying around the paint, it can feel a little chaotic, a little unpredictable. There are body parts flying, and hard screens, and presumably a lot of bruises.
“I think we go out there and play hard and just look for each other when we can,” said Traylor, who had seven points. “We just have the chemistry.”
…The Jayhawks have the sort of depth that can leave a major mark. You know, like a bruise.
So by late on Saturday evening, Traylor was reconsidering his position. Maybe the nickname could stay. You know, Traylor thought, it would look pretty good on one of those retro posters from the 1980s.
“It would look good, so I’m not saying don’t put it on a poster,” Traylor said. “I wouldn’t mind being on a poster.”
KC Star
KU center Joel Embiid tweaked his back in the closing moments. “He came down funny on the other end when he got fouled. That’s why I was going to sub for him. He’s fine,” KU coach Bill Self said.
Noted Embiid: “It’s all right. It’s OK. I just landed (funny). It’s fine.”
Embiid had 11 points and 12 boards with three blocks in 17 foul-plagued minutes.
“That’s what I told him, you didn’t play a lick and get 11 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. That’s good production for a guy that doesn’t get a chance to play a lot,” Self said. “Today I’m not sure there was a drop-off when Tarik (Black) was in the game.”
…The Jayhawks have a quick turnaround with a game against rival Kansas State at 8 p.m., Monday, in Manhattan.
“Coach said, ‘Everybody focus. Don’t do anything dumb (in celebrating Saturday’s win). We’ve got to get ready for this next one on Monday,’’’ said Jamari Traylor.
…Members of the team that competed in the Final Four 40 years ago watched the game from behind the KU bench and were introduced during a first-half time out. They dined in the fieldhouse after the game.
“I thought they did a great job,” Smith said of the Jayhawks. “West Virginia had some great shooters. They were making a lot of threes (4 of 13 first half; 6 of 23 overall). We were sitting here saying, ‘That’s not going in, then ooh (the ball went in),” Smith added. “Our guys played hard to the end, did a good job of defending people on the three.”
Those from the team in attendance: coach Ted Owens, grad assistant Bob Flickner and players Cris Barnthouse, Bob Emery, Dale Greenlee, Tom Kivisto, Roger Morningstar, Smith and Donnie Von Moore. Polly Miranda, wife of assistant coach Sam Miranda, attended.
“It’s been wonderful,” said Owens. “It was a good game. West Virginia has some really good guards that make it difficult. They (Jayhawks) did a great job.”
Of having the ‘74 team in town, KU coach Bill Self said: “It’s cool. I hope I’m around when they bring the ‘08 team and ‘12 team back in 2035 or 2040, whatever it is. It’s cool to see coach (Owens) come back. He’s still connected with all of his players. It was a special team, a great year for Kansas basketball. It was good for our players to witness that.”
LJW
About a half hour after Kansas’ 83-69 victory against West Virginia, Andrew Wiggins walked over to his cheering section on James Naismith court when his father, Mitchell, wanted to know about a baseline drive early in the game.
“What were you doing out there?” Mitchell said with a smile. Andrew gave a sheepish grin and started to explain before his dad continued.
“Everybody in the gym was expecting you to do this,” Mitchell added, pulling his hand behind his head and mimicking a vicious dunk.
…Andrew not only would watch his dad play professionally, but he also had two older brothers to go against. He also attended many of Mitchell’s basketball camps and clinics where the focus was on defensive fundamentals.
“Early on, I taught him how to guard scorers,” Mitchell said. “I taught him how to guard guys who can penetrate a lot off the dribble. He has an understanding of how to guard guys.”
So what did Mitchell teach him?
“If you’re guarding a shooter, just like a Brady Heslip (from Baylor), you get up close to him,” Mitchell said. “Andrew’s about 6-9 with long arms. Just make contact and get close to him and make them put the ball on the floor, preferably with their weak hand.”
Andrew did it beautifully against Harris in the second half Saturday, holding the 43-percent 3-point shooter to just four points on 0-for-4 shooting and 0-for-3 accuracy from 3.
…Mitchell, who will also attend KU’s 8 p.m. tilt with rival Kansas State on Monday in Manhattan, continued to see tantalizing flashes from his son. That included a follow dunk in the final seconds of the first half and aggressiveness that resulted in 10 second-half free throws.
“His ceiling: There’s no ceiling limit,” Mitchell said. “You talk about (teammate Joel) Embiid. There’s no ceiling to these guys. They can be as good as they want to be if they maybe accept the Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant work ethic, where you practice before you practice and you practice after you practice and keep getting better.”
TCJ
Prep basketball coach Rob Fulford offered some words of wisdom to Andrew Wiggins — his most famous pupil of all time — during an otherwise relaxing dinner on Friday night in Lawrence.
“We joked with him about his drives to the basket and finger-rolls. I said, ‘If I see one finger-roll tomorrow, coach (Bill) Self won’t have to say anything to you because I’ll be cussing at you from the stands,’’’ Fulford said with a smile after watching Wiggins score a team-leading 19 points in the Jayhawks’ 83-69 victory over West Virginia on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.
“I thought he played real aggressive today,” Wiggins’ high school mentor added, after attending his first game in KU’s tradition-rich building.
Fulford was able to witness a pair of vicious dunks from the 6-foot-8, 200-pound Wiggins, who at times has been a bit tentative in finishing around the goal.
…“Harris hit his first two jump shots. After that he couldn’t get one off. The kid didn’t make a shot the rest of the game.
“He’s an elite defender,” Fulford added of Wiggins. “I think that’s the biggest part of his game people don’t realize and give him enough credit for.”
Fulford recalled that Wiggins routinely asked to guard the opponents’ best player. “All the time. Every game,” Fulford said. “He wanted it.”
For his part, Wiggins said he made a simple adjustment after Harris hit those three early threes.
“I had to guard him closer and be more aggressive. I tried to turn him into a driver instead of a shooter,” Wiggins said.
…“My first game here ... it was great,” coach Fulford said. “I didn’t want him to be at Kansas and me not get an opportunity to see him play in Allen. It was an honor for me to come out here.”
LJW
LJW Keegan Ratings: Wiggins back atop ratings
VOTE for Kansas at the NCAA 6th Fan Contest
“Pay Heed. The game you love began here. Respect those who came before you. Make their legacy your own. Because destiny favors the dedicated. And rings don’t replace work. In this game you don’t get what you want. You get what you earn. We are Kansas. Together we rise. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
LJW image
Big 12 / College News
5 p.m. news conference at #okstate will include AD Mike Holder and coach Travis Ford along with Marcus Smart.
@KellyHinesTW (will be shown on ESPN and watchespn.com)
Video of TT fan and Marcus Smart incident
There's nothing to talk about. Marcus Smart should be suspended 3-to-5 games. A college athlete has no business putting his hands on a fan.
@stephenasmith
Just saw Marcus Smart video. What a turd. He’s worse than Marshall Henderson at this point. So sad he was early POY fav and now he’s here.
@clubtrillion
On Saturday night, the world witnessed what has been known to those surrounding the Oklahoma State basketball team for the last two months.
Marcus Smart is out of control.
…This has been building as the losses pile up for the Cowboys—a team that was once ranked fifth has now lost four straight games.
Two weeks ago, Smart kicked a chair against West Virginia when his team won, but he struggled. On Jan. 4, he pulled himself up over the rim on a dunk at K-State that resulted in a no-doubt technical and was a direct cause of his team's loss that day.
Last Monday at Iowa State, Big 12 referees finally caught on to his endless flopping, and when his act didn't get a call, he pouted.
On their own, each of these instances appeared to be small lapses in judgement. Together, they were signs of a renegade without an authority figure to hold him accountable for his actions.’
…I hear stuff from fans at nearly every college game I attend that makes me want to go up into the stands and ask fans, "Do you hear yourselves? These are kids. This is a game. This is a public place."
Cruel and hateful language is the norm, and it shouldn't be.
But Smart isn't the only one victim to it. It happens everywhere. And no matter what Orr said to him, there's no excuse for leaving the court and doing what he did.
Smart deserves to be suspended. He deserves to be held accountable for his actions.
And maybe if Smart had been put in his place before those final moments in Lubbock, an ugly scene never would have taken place.
CJ Moore
Knicks forward Metta World Peace believes Marcus Smart can learn from the fallout that will come after Smart shoved a fan during Oklahoma State's game at Texas Tech Saturday.
If anyone would know, it's the player formerly known as Ron Artest.
…World Peace said Smart — who is projected to be a high NBA draft pick — might benefit from learning how to deal with obnoxious fans at age 19, before he becomes a pro and millions of dollars are on the line.
"Just in general, I heard the kid is pretty good and a potential pro," World Peace said Sunday before his game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. "So those types of challenges on the court when you're playing and fans are rooting against you — that was a great lesson learned, so that hopefully when he does become a pro, he'll be able to kind of withstand the fans that are rooting against him on the road."
World Peace also said Smart needs to learn to control his energy.
"I think that emotion and that fire could be directed towards winning on the court instead of directed other ways," he said.
World Peace said given the chance, he would advise Smart to be aware of the big picture when making decisions.
"At 19 years old, when I came out of St. John's, I was fresh out the 'hood. I was fresh out of Queensbridge," he said. "So my mentality was still struggle, defensive and things like that. I wasn't really conscious. I'm 34 years old now. So he's a young kid. I wish I would have listened when I was a kid to my elders or people who had my best interests at heart, and then I wish I would have been more conscious at that age also. Those are two things that, if you were to reach out to a kid like Marcus — a talented kid, future leader in the community — you would tell him those things."
…Texas Tech is still investigating, trying to speak with people who were in the area around Smart and Orr when the altercation occurred.
"We are conducting a very thorough investigation, trying to collect everything we can," Texas Tech spokesman Blayne Beal said Sunday. "We are in conversations with Mr. Orr."
There are no fan-behavior guidelines printed on Texas Tech basketball tickets, Beal said, but the school follows the Big 12's sportsmanship policy. Before each game the public address announcer reads a few sentences about sportsmanship that includes that inappropriate fan behavior will not be tolerated.
"It's read literally at every game," Beal said.
Section 12.2.1 is titled Institutional Responsibility: "The Big 12 member institutions have the responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure that all university employees, students, and others in attendance at athletics events conduct themselves in a dignified manner and exhibit respect and courtesy towards game officials, other institutions and their employees, students (including student-athletes) and fans."
AP
What led the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year to cross a line, both literally and figuratively, and shove a spectator late in Oklahoma State's fourth consecutive loss? The most likely scenario has us never knowing for sure because there will almost certainly be multiple versions of this story. It'll devolve into a he-said/he-said situation, I'd bet. Regardless, know this: No matter what the man said or did, Marcus Smart was wrong to put his hands on a fan, and the sophomore guard should be punished for it.
That's not even debatable in my mind.
There are certain things players simply cannot do without repercussions, and physically engaging fans is quite clearly one of those things. So, no matter what the man said or did, Smart was in the wrong when he reacted the way he reacted. That's why he should be suspended by Oklahoma State and/or the Big 12 in the next 36 hours, and that's why I think he will be suspended by Oklahoma State and/or the Big 12 in the next 36 hours.
CBS Parrish
Marcus Smart broke one of the cardinal rules of spectator sports: You do not touch the customers.
You do not touch the customers for what they say. You do not touch the customers for what they do, unless it happens that what they’re doing is endangering your personal safety. Marcus Smart touched a customer. His college career never will be the same.
He no longer will be viewed as the consummate winner, the player who lifted Oklahoma State from mediocrity and carried the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament in his freshman season, earning first-team All-America honors from Sporting News and then went out and directed the United States U-19 national team to a world championship.
He no longer will be the player who declined the opportunity to enter the NBA draft and instead returned to OK State because he wanted to improve his jumpshot before taking on the world’s best players and to leave the game with a better lasting impression than the team’s flameout in last year’s NCAA round of 64.
He’ll be the player who flopped against Kansas, who kicked over a chair against West Virginia and who touched a customer in attendance at Saturday’s 65-61 Texas Tech victory over the Cowboys. Their collapse in the aftermath of center Michael Cobbins’ injury has damaged not only the team’s chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament, but also the image of its star player.
TSN DeCourcy
Smart has claimed to Oklahoma State coaches that Orr called him a racial slur, a member of the basketball program confirmed to ESPN.
After the game, Smart was "down and remorseful," the team official told ESPN, claiming that the sophomore guard "got caught up in the moment."
…Big 12 coordinator of officials Curtis Shaw told ESPN that the officials don't have jurisdiction to eject a player who is involved in an altercation with a fan.
"There is no precedent for that," Shaw said. "Our rules are for flagrant 1 or 2. We don't have grounds for dealing with a fan. We don't have a rule to get involved when the player is involved with a fan. We don't know what was said. The official, Doug Sirmons, didn't know what was said."
Shaw said anything involving a fan is up to the host school.
"That's up to the security of the home team and the conference," Shaw said. "We've never had a fan with a player incident before."
Beal told ESPN that high-ranking officials at Texas Tech already have spoken with Orr. Beal said he is uncertain whether the school will issue a statement about the incident.
"We have never had an issue with [Orr] crossing the line in the past," Beal told ESPN.
ESPN Goodman
Even after the game had ended, Smart wouldn’t leave the floor. Team officials had to drag him back to the locker room as he pleaded his case. It was a bizarre, unfortunate moment in Smart’s career.
I don’t know the player I’ve watched in recent weeks.
…Smart shoved a fan. And that can’t happen.
Period.
It’s not fair. Life isn’t. But men and women in that spotlight, especially in the social media age, are subjected to levels of disrespect and hatred that few can understand. A refusal to respond does not constitute cowardice. It proves maturity.
And Smart had that chance. He had the chance to prove that a teenager was more of a man than some Texas Tech fan who might have aggravated him.
Instead, Smart placated his haters who’d already harassed him for the way he’s attempted to draw fouls this season. See: flopping.
Smart kicked a chair during a recent win over West Virginia. Since that incident, Smart’s negative demeanor has been one of the headlines for a troubled program.
He’s moped on the sideline. He’s been childish. He’s walked off the floor.
What initially seemed like a bad stretch for a good kid was actually the precursor to Saturday’s meltdown and another bad night for a program that can’t seem to do right.
ESPN Medcalf
@KellyHinesTW (will be shown on ESPN and watchespn.com)
Video of TT fan and Marcus Smart incident
There's nothing to talk about. Marcus Smart should be suspended 3-to-5 games. A college athlete has no business putting his hands on a fan.
@stephenasmith
Just saw Marcus Smart video. What a turd. He’s worse than Marshall Henderson at this point. So sad he was early POY fav and now he’s here.
@clubtrillion
On Saturday night, the world witnessed what has been known to those surrounding the Oklahoma State basketball team for the last two months.
Marcus Smart is out of control.
…This has been building as the losses pile up for the Cowboys—a team that was once ranked fifth has now lost four straight games.
Two weeks ago, Smart kicked a chair against West Virginia when his team won, but he struggled. On Jan. 4, he pulled himself up over the rim on a dunk at K-State that resulted in a no-doubt technical and was a direct cause of his team's loss that day.
Last Monday at Iowa State, Big 12 referees finally caught on to his endless flopping, and when his act didn't get a call, he pouted.
On their own, each of these instances appeared to be small lapses in judgement. Together, they were signs of a renegade without an authority figure to hold him accountable for his actions.’
…I hear stuff from fans at nearly every college game I attend that makes me want to go up into the stands and ask fans, "Do you hear yourselves? These are kids. This is a game. This is a public place."
Cruel and hateful language is the norm, and it shouldn't be.
But Smart isn't the only one victim to it. It happens everywhere. And no matter what Orr said to him, there's no excuse for leaving the court and doing what he did.
Smart deserves to be suspended. He deserves to be held accountable for his actions.
And maybe if Smart had been put in his place before those final moments in Lubbock, an ugly scene never would have taken place.
CJ Moore
Knicks forward Metta World Peace believes Marcus Smart can learn from the fallout that will come after Smart shoved a fan during Oklahoma State's game at Texas Tech Saturday.
If anyone would know, it's the player formerly known as Ron Artest.
…World Peace said Smart — who is projected to be a high NBA draft pick — might benefit from learning how to deal with obnoxious fans at age 19, before he becomes a pro and millions of dollars are on the line.
"Just in general, I heard the kid is pretty good and a potential pro," World Peace said Sunday before his game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. "So those types of challenges on the court when you're playing and fans are rooting against you — that was a great lesson learned, so that hopefully when he does become a pro, he'll be able to kind of withstand the fans that are rooting against him on the road."
World Peace also said Smart needs to learn to control his energy.
"I think that emotion and that fire could be directed towards winning on the court instead of directed other ways," he said.
World Peace said given the chance, he would advise Smart to be aware of the big picture when making decisions.
"At 19 years old, when I came out of St. John's, I was fresh out the 'hood. I was fresh out of Queensbridge," he said. "So my mentality was still struggle, defensive and things like that. I wasn't really conscious. I'm 34 years old now. So he's a young kid. I wish I would have listened when I was a kid to my elders or people who had my best interests at heart, and then I wish I would have been more conscious at that age also. Those are two things that, if you were to reach out to a kid like Marcus — a talented kid, future leader in the community — you would tell him those things."
…Texas Tech is still investigating, trying to speak with people who were in the area around Smart and Orr when the altercation occurred.
"We are conducting a very thorough investigation, trying to collect everything we can," Texas Tech spokesman Blayne Beal said Sunday. "We are in conversations with Mr. Orr."
There are no fan-behavior guidelines printed on Texas Tech basketball tickets, Beal said, but the school follows the Big 12's sportsmanship policy. Before each game the public address announcer reads a few sentences about sportsmanship that includes that inappropriate fan behavior will not be tolerated.
"It's read literally at every game," Beal said.
Section 12.2.1 is titled Institutional Responsibility: "The Big 12 member institutions have the responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure that all university employees, students, and others in attendance at athletics events conduct themselves in a dignified manner and exhibit respect and courtesy towards game officials, other institutions and their employees, students (including student-athletes) and fans."
AP
What led the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year to cross a line, both literally and figuratively, and shove a spectator late in Oklahoma State's fourth consecutive loss? The most likely scenario has us never knowing for sure because there will almost certainly be multiple versions of this story. It'll devolve into a he-said/he-said situation, I'd bet. Regardless, know this: No matter what the man said or did, Marcus Smart was wrong to put his hands on a fan, and the sophomore guard should be punished for it.
That's not even debatable in my mind.
There are certain things players simply cannot do without repercussions, and physically engaging fans is quite clearly one of those things. So, no matter what the man said or did, Smart was in the wrong when he reacted the way he reacted. That's why he should be suspended by Oklahoma State and/or the Big 12 in the next 36 hours, and that's why I think he will be suspended by Oklahoma State and/or the Big 12 in the next 36 hours.
CBS Parrish
Marcus Smart broke one of the cardinal rules of spectator sports: You do not touch the customers.
You do not touch the customers for what they say. You do not touch the customers for what they do, unless it happens that what they’re doing is endangering your personal safety. Marcus Smart touched a customer. His college career never will be the same.
He no longer will be viewed as the consummate winner, the player who lifted Oklahoma State from mediocrity and carried the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament in his freshman season, earning first-team All-America honors from Sporting News and then went out and directed the United States U-19 national team to a world championship.
He no longer will be the player who declined the opportunity to enter the NBA draft and instead returned to OK State because he wanted to improve his jumpshot before taking on the world’s best players and to leave the game with a better lasting impression than the team’s flameout in last year’s NCAA round of 64.
He’ll be the player who flopped against Kansas, who kicked over a chair against West Virginia and who touched a customer in attendance at Saturday’s 65-61 Texas Tech victory over the Cowboys. Their collapse in the aftermath of center Michael Cobbins’ injury has damaged not only the team’s chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament, but also the image of its star player.
TSN DeCourcy
Smart has claimed to Oklahoma State coaches that Orr called him a racial slur, a member of the basketball program confirmed to ESPN.
After the game, Smart was "down and remorseful," the team official told ESPN, claiming that the sophomore guard "got caught up in the moment."
…Big 12 coordinator of officials Curtis Shaw told ESPN that the officials don't have jurisdiction to eject a player who is involved in an altercation with a fan.
"There is no precedent for that," Shaw said. "Our rules are for flagrant 1 or 2. We don't have grounds for dealing with a fan. We don't have a rule to get involved when the player is involved with a fan. We don't know what was said. The official, Doug Sirmons, didn't know what was said."
Shaw said anything involving a fan is up to the host school.
"That's up to the security of the home team and the conference," Shaw said. "We've never had a fan with a player incident before."
Beal told ESPN that high-ranking officials at Texas Tech already have spoken with Orr. Beal said he is uncertain whether the school will issue a statement about the incident.
"We have never had an issue with [Orr] crossing the line in the past," Beal told ESPN.
ESPN Goodman
Even after the game had ended, Smart wouldn’t leave the floor. Team officials had to drag him back to the locker room as he pleaded his case. It was a bizarre, unfortunate moment in Smart’s career.
I don’t know the player I’ve watched in recent weeks.
…Smart shoved a fan. And that can’t happen.
Period.
It’s not fair. Life isn’t. But men and women in that spotlight, especially in the social media age, are subjected to levels of disrespect and hatred that few can understand. A refusal to respond does not constitute cowardice. It proves maturity.
And Smart had that chance. He had the chance to prove that a teenager was more of a man than some Texas Tech fan who might have aggravated him.
Instead, Smart placated his haters who’d already harassed him for the way he’s attempted to draw fouls this season. See: flopping.
Smart kicked a chair during a recent win over West Virginia. Since that incident, Smart’s negative demeanor has been one of the headlines for a troubled program.
He’s moped on the sideline. He’s been childish. He’s walked off the floor.
What initially seemed like a bad stretch for a good kid was actually the precursor to Saturday’s meltdown and another bad night for a program that can’t seem to do right.
ESPN Medcalf
Melvin Ejim scored a Big 12 record 48 points Saturday; he outscored 3 Division I teams (Georgia Tech, Howard, North Florida).
@ESPNStatsInfo
It’s a trying time for the Bears (14-9, 2-8 Big 12) in the midst of losing seven of their last eight games, but the players aren’t ready to call it quits.
Sophomore center Isaiah Austin wasn’t a fan of addressing reporters after the game, but did his best to put this nightmarish stretch in perspective.
“It’s basketball, it’s not life,” said Austin, an Arlington Grace Prep product. “It’s a privilege to play out there on that court. We’re thankful to be out there. Right now, things aren’t going our way, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to hang our heads.”
Said junior forward Royce O’Neale: “It’s frustrating, but we’re just going to keep getting better. Just keep practicing every day and play it game-by-game.”
FW ST
The last time most DFW sports fans witnessed Moody Madness with comparable intensity and decibel levels to Saturday night, SMU was not involved.
Instead, the phrase attached itself to a Dallas Mavericks’ playoff game from 1984, when the upstart NBA franchise sealed its first playoff series triumph in comeback fashion over Seattle. The game was moved to the Mustangs’ facility because the Mavs’ home venue, Reunion Arena, already was booked for a tennis event.
But during Saturday’s high-stakes, high-decibel, court-storming version of Moody Madness, SMU was very much the star of the show in a 76-55 rout of No. 7 Cincinnati.
The victory, SMU’s first over a Top 10 opponent since Dec. 3, 1987, should have major repercussions in efforts to return the Mustangs to the Top 25 rankings for the first time since the 1984-85 season. When Monday’s updated polls surface, SMU (19-5, 8-3 American Athletic Conference) deserves to be included after ending the Bearcats’ 15-game winning streak and making the Mustangs’ strongest statement to date that they are viable candidates to receive their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1993.
Cincinnati (22-3, 11-1) fell for the first time in league play and held only one lead — at 2-0. Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said his team “got beat in every facet of the game” by an SMU squad that shot 54.3 percent from the field and limited the Bearcats to a 35.4 conversion rate.
FW ST
Recruiting
Chicago Tribune image
Cliff Alexander had competition for best dunk.
Josh Stamps' shoulder-dip tomahawk from the baseline rivaled anything the future Kansas Jayhawk threw down Saturday night.
Stamps even outscored his teammate, though Alexander's presence had far more to do with Stamps' production than vice-versa.
Stamps scored 29 points, Alexander had 27 along with 15 rebounds and five blocks and No. 1 Curie cruised into the Public League quarterfinals with a 75-63 victory over North Lawndale in second-round action at Young.
The Condors will take on either No. 7 Simeon or Lane at Chicago State on Feb. 16. Curie beat Simeon 62-59 in the championship game of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
"Everybody expects us to give it to him every time, so that leaves a lot of open shots," Stamps, a 6-4 junior, said. "When we throw it in to him and they double down, we know he's going to kick it back out."
Alexander managed 11 first-half points despite hardly touching the ball against North Lawndale's zone, doing the bulk of his damage on offensive rebounds.
…"Coach (Mike Oliver) told us to slow down with the ball and work our way inside-out," Alexander said. "That's what we did in the second half."
Alexander responded with a nine-point third, though his demeanor remains the same whether or not he's being targeted.
Rarely does he show frustration.
"I just work hard on the glass, get the offensive rebound and go up at will," Alexander said. "That's what coach wants me to do — attack the glass."
Chicago Tribune
Josh Stamps' shoulder-dip tomahawk from the baseline rivaled anything the future Kansas Jayhawk threw down Saturday night.
Stamps even outscored his teammate, though Alexander's presence had far more to do with Stamps' production than vice-versa.
Stamps scored 29 points, Alexander had 27 along with 15 rebounds and five blocks and No. 1 Curie cruised into the Public League quarterfinals with a 75-63 victory over North Lawndale in second-round action at Young.
The Condors will take on either No. 7 Simeon or Lane at Chicago State on Feb. 16. Curie beat Simeon 62-59 in the championship game of the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
"Everybody expects us to give it to him every time, so that leaves a lot of open shots," Stamps, a 6-4 junior, said. "When we throw it in to him and they double down, we know he's going to kick it back out."
Alexander managed 11 first-half points despite hardly touching the ball against North Lawndale's zone, doing the bulk of his damage on offensive rebounds.
…"Coach (Mike Oliver) told us to slow down with the ball and work our way inside-out," Alexander said. "That's what we did in the second half."
Alexander responded with a nine-point third, though his demeanor remains the same whether or not he's being targeted.
Rarely does he show frustration.
"I just work hard on the glass, get the offensive rebound and go up at will," Alexander said. "That's what coach wants me to do — attack the glass."
Chicago Tribune
@K_Ctmd22 thunder slams down the lane in last nights win versus Desert Pines in Las Vegas.. pic.twitter.com/ZIknuocRyb
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