No. 1 Arizona Survives No. 9 TCU's Upset Bid in OT, Will Face Houston in Sweet 16
Mar 21, 2022
Arizona players react on the bench after a dunk by guard Bennedict Mathurin against TCU during the second half of a second-round NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, March 20, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
The No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats survived a scare from the No. 9 seed TCU Horned Frogs en route to an 85-80 overtime win in San Diego on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin scored a season-high 30 points, including a three-pointer with 14 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 75.
That set up a chaotic final sequence in regulation.
TCU guard Mike Miles Jr. had trouble advancing the ball because of Arizona's defensive pressure. However, he appeared to get fouled as he lost the ball near half court by Wildcats guard Dalen Terry.
No call was made, and Terry picked up the loose ball and scampered to the hoop. He slammed the ball home as time expired, but he was a few tenths of a second too late.
On the next possession, Kerr Kriisa took a trio of three-point attempts but did not connect on any of them.
Koloko came up with the offensive rebound after the first two to keep the possession alive, but Mathurin grabbed the third and put it home for an 83-80 lead.
TCU forward Chuck O'Bannon Jr. missed a three on the other end, but Mathurin responded with a missed triple of his own. Koloko, however, skied to grab Mathurin's miss and sealed this game with a put-back dunk.
Koloko had 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting, 12 rebounds and three blocks. O'Bannon Jr. (23 points), Miles Jr. (20) and center Eddie Lampkin Jr. (20) paced the TCU offense.
Arizona has now made the Sweet 16 for the 20th time in school history and first since 2017. The Wildcats improved to 33-3 with the win.
TCU, which hadn't made the second round of the NCAA tournament since 1987 before this year, ends the season at 21-13.
Notable Performances
Arizona G Bennedict Mathurin: 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals
Arizona C Christian Koloko: 28 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks
TCU F Chuck O'Bannon Jr.: 23 points, five rebounds, four steals
TCU G Mike Miles Jr.: 20 points, three assists
TCU C Eddie Lampkin Jr.: 20 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks
Mathurin, Koloko Lead Wildcats to Win
All Wildcats not named Mathurin or Koloko scored just 27 points on 11-of-36 shooting. It was an off-night for that crew, but Mathurin and Koloko were up to the task of leading this team to a gritty win over a tough TCU squad.
Mathurin starred all night, especially in the second half and overtime. He arguably delivered the dunk of the tournament to put Arizona up 54-52.
It appeared Arizona was set to pull away after an 8-0 run to go up 67-58. Koloko hit a big shot during that span, putting in this layup plus the foul. That gave him a career high in points.
Mathurin and Koloko scored the rest of Arizona's points from there as the Wildcats outlasted the Horned Frogs in an instant classic.
It won't get any easier against a Houston team that just beat a stout Illinois squad 68-53, but the Mathurin-Koloko duo can keep the Wildcats in any game.
Tremendous Effort From TCU
It's easy to play the "What if?" game after this one following the uncalled foul near the end of regulation. Miles, a 77.3 percent career free-throw shooter, would have gone to the line for two shots with about three seconds left.
Far more likely than not, TCU would have won the game.
Alas, that did not happen. Still, TCU showed a lot of heart against a No. 1 seed largely considered the second- or third-best team remaining in the field.
O'Bannon Jr. punctuated a great start for the Horned Frogs, putting home this dunk for a 10-2 edge:
Arizona jumped out to a 67-58 advantage, but TCU fired back with a 12-0 run. O'Bannon Jr. scored the first five points before Lampkin hit this baby hook to cut the deficit to two.
Lampkin Jr. scored TCU's last five points in regulation, including a free throw following an offensive rebound as well as a layup with 37 seconds remaining that gave TCU a 75-72 lead.
The rest of the game didn't go in TCU's favor, but credit to the Horned Frogs for a valiant effort. Head coach Jamie Dixon's crew has a lot to be proud of after a great tournament appearance that started with a resounding 69-42 win over Seton Hall.
What's Next?
Arizona will play No. 5 seed Houston in the South Regional semifinals on Thursday at San Antonio's AT&T Center. The game will occur after the conclusion of the other semifinal between No. 2 seed Villanova and No. 11 seed Michigan, which tips off at 7:15 p.m. ET.
The semifinal winners will play Saturday at a to-be-determined time in San Antonio.
TCU Gets Notice of Allegations in Connection with FBI Corruption Investigation
Jan 8, 2020
MANHATTAN, KS - JANUARY 07: David Sloan #4 of the Kansas State Wildcats drives to the basket against Desmond Bane #1 of the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half on January 7, 2020 at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
TCU became the fifth school to receive an NCAA notice of allegations in response to the FBI's investigation into the corruption scandal involving numerous Division I programs.
Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated, who broke the news, reported the following:
"The specific allegations of NCAA violations made by NCAA Enforcement against TCU is not known, and the school did not release the NOA. TCU did supply a statement to SI Wednesday night saying, 'TCU has received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA enforcement staff specific to former assistant mens basketball coach Corey Barker. There were no other individuals involved or additional allegations against the university. Per NCAA rules, because there is a pending case, TCU is not permitted to comment further.'
"The NCAA does not release its Notices of Allegations and declined comment to SI Wednesday."
Dean Straka of the Dallas Morning News reported in March 2019 that TCU fired Barker near the end of his third season with the program and provided more details regarding the specific allegation:
"In a March 7 court filing in the Southern District of New York, an unnamed assistant from a Texas university was alleged to have received a payment of $6,000 from former sports agent Christian Dawkins, with the intent of steering players towards Dawkins' agency upon declaring for the NBA draft. According to Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel, Barker was the unnamed assistant referenced.
"Per Engel, former TCU point guard Jaylen Fisher -- who announced he'd be transferring from the program mid-season -- was the player Dawkins attempted to have Barker steer towards his agency. Fisher accepted no money, per the report."
USC, Oklahoma State, Kansas and NC State are the other schools that have received notices of allegations, per Forde. NC State is the only school to respond to the NCAA's allegations and said in a statement that it "strenuously disputes" at least one of the charges.
Per Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the nature of the allegations against TCU are unclear. However, Davison wrote that comparisons to other cases within the corruption case make it seem "likely" that it will be a Level I charge, which is the most severe penalty.
Barker, who joined TCU before the 2016-17 season, helped guide the Horned Frogs to the 2017 NIT title. He was an assistant at Louisiana Tech, Bowling Green and Arkansas State in his three stops prior to arriving in Fort Worth, Texas.
Per Davison, the coach has not been charged with a crime.
TCU entered Wednesday with an 11-3 overall record and a 2-0 Big 12 mark, good enough for an early first-place tie with Baylor atop the conference.
TCU Assistant Corey Barker Placed on Leave After Link to Bribery Scandal
Mar 8, 2019
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 05: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 88-60. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
TCU has placed assistant basketball coach Corey Barker on administrative leave after he was linked to the FBI's investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball.
Athletic director Jeremiah Donati announced Barker's leave in a statement to Dean Straka of the Dallas Morning News.
"While TCU conducts an internal review, assistant men's basketball coach Corey Barker has been placed on administrative leave," Donati said. "In light of the ongoing judicial process and our institutional practice of not discussing personnel matters, we will have no further comment."
PerPat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzelof Yahoo Sports, Barker was alleged to have received a $6,000 payment from former Adidas consultant Christian Dawkins in exchange for steering future NBA players to him.
The report noted Barker hasn't been charged, nor is he expected to be in the case that has thus far resulted in three people, including Dawkins, beingsentencedto prison for their role in the bribery scandal.
Dawkins and former Adidas consultant Merl Code were sentenced to six months. Adidas executive Jim Gatto received a nine-month sentence.
PerWetzel, all three men will appeal the decision.
The FBIarrested10 people in September 2017 as part of a two-year investigation into widespread bribery and corruption in college basketball.
PerForde and Thamel, documents and bank records in the case revealed an "underground recruiting operation that could create NCAA rules issues for at least 20 Division I basketball programs and more than 25 players."
Barker is in his third season as an assistant on head coach Jamie Dixon's staff. He won an NIT championship with the Horned Frogs in 2016-17.
