It is a shame that we will not get to see Simmons play in the NCAA tournament in what is likely his only college season but he and his team are clearly not deserving. Seed and regional location will be announced Sunday, which also is true for projected tournament-bound teams from No. 22 Baylor (22-11), No. 23 Texas (20-12), Texas Tech (19-12) and the Southland Conference tournament champion (Stephen F. Austin or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). When someone doesn’t get exhausted, they can play at their best, and his best is really elite.
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LSU may have the most talented player in the nation in Ben Simmons but that has not been almost enough this season. Simmons picked up a technical foul after spiking the basketball in frustration in the second half, perfectly summing up a season without a sense in direction for LSU.
Hogg, a freshman from Plano West who averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in a reserve role during the regular season, pointed to the addition of Collins as a key factor in solidifying the Aggies’ lineup.
In a bit of a surprise, shortly after the NCAA field was revealed, coach Johnny Jones said in a university news release that his team would not participate in any postseason tournament this year. LSU advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament and played on the final day of the regular season with a chance to tie for the regular season title. The Wildcats could not cool off The Bulldogs, who shot 61% in the first half, making 19 of 31 shots, including 6 of 12 three pointers. His next game likely will be in the NIT if LSU gets an invitation.
Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said he felt for Simmons.
“To be totally honest, I wasn’t expecting us to lose”, Victor said. Gilder punctuated the performance by beating the buzzer with a 3-pointer for a 35-13 lead at intermission.
“I was little disappointed in some of the results, but I’ll reserve more comments until I take a closer look at it”, Georgia coach Mark Fox said Sunday night on a conference call. “You have to go through some stuff sometimes and if you have good character and toughness, you can get through it. This year has been a credit to those seniors, setting the tone”. “Especially because of how bad we needed to win”. They converted just 5 of 27 attempts from three-point range.
“That kid has had so much pressure on him from the beginning”, Kennedy said.
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Hornsby had surgery for a sports hernia injury November 3, just 10 days before the season opener, and was sidelined for the first seven games before returning in mid-December. Hopefully his pro career will go off without a hitch because right now he’s mostly only known as a guy with tremendous upside who puts up huge numbers, but ultimately can’t turn all that into sustained team success.
