THE BIG XII CONFERENCE THREAD

Iowa State routs NC Central but loses Georges Niang to broken foot

Iowa State used an overpowering second half against North Carolina Central to avoid the kind of upset that has tripped up other highly seeded teams in this NCAA tournament.

Then came the bad news for the Cyclones -- or, really, the bad break.

Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said Georges Niang, who scored 24 points in the 93-75 victory Friday night, will miss the rest of the NCAA tournament with a broken bone in his right foot.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546937

 

Iowa State tops UNC despite bizarre ending for rare Sweet 16 berth

Iowa State's DeAndre Kane did exactly as his coach had instructed, driving for a layup that gave the Cyclones the lead. North Carolina never got a chance to answer because Roy Williams' players didn't do what he wanted.

With Williams jumping and gesticulating for a timeout, the Tar Heels inbounded the ball to Nate Britt, who dribbled past midcourt as time expired in Iowa State's 85-83 victory Sunday.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400548705

 

Baylor shuts down Doug McDermott, Creighton to advance

Too big. Too strong. Too fast.

Baylor was too much of just about everything for Creighton and Doug McDermott to handle.

And because of it, the sixth-seeded Bears are rolling out of Texas toward California and the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 after an impressive 85-55 win Sunday night in the West Regional.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400548679

 

Wayne Selden to return to Kansas

Kansas freshman guard Wayne Selden will return for his sophomore season.

The 6-foot-5 Selden, who averaged 9.7 points per game this season, made the announcement via Twitter:

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...weets-return-kansas-jayhawks-sophomore-season

 

Iowa St. lands Bryce Dejean-Jones

One of the rare setbacks Iowa State suffered last season came in February, when five-star prep shooting guard Rashad Vaughn chose UNLV over the Cyclones.

Iowa State has responded by giving a scholarship it had earmarked for Vaughn to Bryce Dejean-Jones -- the leading scorer for the Runnin' Rebels last season.

Dejean-Jones, a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility left, said Sunday he plans to play his final season at Iowa State.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...nlv-runnin-rebels-commits-iowa-state-cyclones

 

Naadir Tharpe leaving Kansas

Kansas starting point guard Naadir Tharpe will transfer closer to home for his final season of eligibility, ending a tumultuous run with the Jayhawks that included three Big 12 championships and multiple off-court distractions.

The Massachusetts native said in a statement issued by the school Thursday that he made the decision to transfer so he could be closer to his daughter, Amara. She was born during his freshman season, and Tharpe said she has been dealing with medical issues that require regular visits to doctors.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...867638/naadir-tharpe-transfer-kansas-jayhawks

 

James Dickey returns to Okla. State

Oklahoma State announced Wednesday that it has hired former Houston coach James Dickey as an assistant.

Dickey coached at Houston the past four years before resigning because of a family matter. The Cougars went 17-16 last season with an 8-10 record in the American Athletic Conference. He led the Cougars to a 20-13 record and a CBI bid the previous season.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...ach-james-dickey-hired-oklahoma-state-cowboys

 

Myles Turner chooses Texas

Myles Turner, the No. 2 player in the ESPN 100, chose to attend in-state Texas on Wednesday over the likes of Kansas, Oklahoma State and Duke.

Turner's favorite player growing up was former Longhorns star Kevin Durant, and now he has the chance to have a Durant-like impact at Texas.

Read more http://espn.go.com/college-sports/r...rner-nation-no-2-recruit-play-texas-longhorns

 

Devonte Graham commits to Kansas

Kansas moved quickly to replace starting point guard Naadir Tharpe, receiving a commitment from Devonte Graham.

The Jayhawks announced a day earlier that Tharpe would transfer.

"I think that was part of it," Graham told ESPN on Friday, a few hours before the Jayhawks announced his commitment. "He was a big part of their program and played a lot. If he had stayed, I'm not sure if I would be going to Kansas."

Read more http://espn.go.com/college-sports/r...wks-get-commitment-point-guard-devonte-graham

 

TaShawn Thomas chooses Oklahoma



Houston transfer TaShawn Thomas is heading to Oklahoma.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior forward decided to leave the Cougars shortly after a coaching change that brought in Kelvin Sampson. He chose the Sooners over Miami.

Thomas averaged 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds and will likely sit this coming season and have one year of eligibility remaining, but he told ESPN that he will attempt to receive a waiver from the NCAA and try and be ready to play this coming season.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...uston-transfer-tashawn-thomas-headed-oklahoma

 

Cyclones get Georgios Tsalmpouris



Coach Fred Hoiberg added size to his lineup as Iowa State announced the signing of Greek national team center Georgios Tsalmpouris on Monday.

The 7-foot-1 Tsalmpouris, who is from Veria, Greece, won't turn 18 until June. He will compete in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain this summer before joining the Cyclones in the fall. Tsalmpouris will be eligible to play for Iowa State immediately.

See more at http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...itment-7-1-center-georgios-tsalmpouris-greece

 

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk picks Kansas



Kansas has added talented Ukrainian guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, the school announced Wednesday.

The versatile 6-foot-8 guard played for Cherkassy in the Ukraine, and came over and participated in the Nike Hoop Summit last month in Oregon. He only scored two points in 13 minutes in the game, but numerous NBA scouts there were impressed with his ability to shoot the ball in the practices leading up to it.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...00/kansas-jayhawks-land-sviatoslav-mykhailiuk

 

Cousins shot; won't need surgery

Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins is expected to recover after he was struck by a stray bullet in his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York, Sooners coach Lon Kruger said in a statement.

Mount Vernon Police Deputy Commissioner Richard Burke said Cousins was walking with friends Tuesday when he was hit by a bullet from an exchange of gunfire a street away.

Kruger said in the statement that Cousins was struck in the back of the shoulder but that he won't need surgery. Kruger also said neither Cousins nor his friends were the intended targets and that Cousins was apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...ooners-hit-stray-bullet-mount-vernon-new-york

 

Fred Hoiberg undergoes surgery

Iowa State men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg had surgery Tuesday (7/22) to replace his pacemaker, he said in a statement Tuesday.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...iowa-state-hawkeyes-surgery-replace-pacemaker

 

Texas suspends Martez Walker

Texas guard Martez Walker was suspended indefinitely from all team activities Friday after he was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly beating his girlfriend in a campus dormitory.

According to campus police, Travis County Emergency Medical Services was called to the dorm Wednesday night, where the victim reported Walker slapped her and punched her four times in the left side.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...onghorns-suspend-martez-walker-assault-charge

 

Martez Walker withdraws from Texas

Texas guard Martez Walker, who had been suspended while facing misdemeanor assault charges involving his girlfriend, has withdrawn from school, university officials said Thursday.

Walker had been suspended from all team activities in September after he was charged with beating his girlfriend in a campus dormitory. He faces a charge of injury/dating violence, which carries up to a year in jail and $4,000 in fines.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...74932/suspended-martez-walker-withdraws-texas

 

Graham leads No. 5 Kansas past Santa Barbara 69-59

Devonte' Graham came off the bench Friday night to provide fifth-ranked Kansas with a much-needed spark, providing the scuffling Jayhawks with some scoring and toughness.

Maybe a bit too much toughness.

On one play in the first half of their 69-59 victory over UC-Santa Barbara, the freshman guard was whistled for a technical foul after he walloped a defender with an elbow. Graham walked sheepishly back to the bench, where Kansas coach Bill Self proceeded to -- ah, instruct him.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400585668

 

Turner leads Texas over North Dakota St. 85-50

Add Myles Turner to the list of impressive debuts at Texas.

One of the top recruits in the country and the newcomer to a loaded Longhorns lineup, the freshman scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds as No. 10 Texas rolled to a leisurely 85-50 season-opening win over North Dakota State on Friday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400585674

 

No. 14 Iowa State beats Oakland 93-82

Iowa State will be junior Georges Niang's team this year.

Niang didn't waste time showing the 14th-ranked Cyclones what he can do as their No. 1 option, scoring a career-high 30 points with nine rebounds and five assists in their 93-82 victory over Oakland on Friday night

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400585667

 

TaShawn Thomas to play right away

Oklahoma waited six months for the NCAA to make its decision regarding a waiver for Houston transfer TaShawn Thomas. And on the eve of the Sooners' first game of the season, word finally came down.

Thomas is eligible immediately and can play the entire season, Oklahoma announced via Twitter on Saturday night.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...as-eligible-play-oklahoma-sooners-immediately