Texas Tech Falls to Oklahoma State for Second Straight Loss
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are making their route to the Big 12 regular season title a lot tougher than it once looked. They dropped their second straight game on Wednesday, 79-71, in upset fashion against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Kendall Smith scored 21 points, as the Cowboys shot 52 percent from the floor, including hitting half of their three-point shots. The crowd of 7,092 rushed the floor after upset, as the students were excited about the big win and the announcement that school was out the next day due to the weather. Lindy Waters had a career-high 18 points for the Cowboys, who had already won four games against top-20 teams this season. That list includes Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas, and West Virginia. The Red Raiders were unable to prevent themselves from being on that list, despite Zhaire Smith's 18 points and Jarrett Culver's 15. Their two straight losses comes after a seven-game winning streak, as they remained a half game behind the Kansas Jayhawks for the Big 12 lead. Leading scorer, Kennan Evans, who left the previous game with a toe injury, had just two points on 1-for-7 shooting. They will hope he can get back on track in Saturday's big game against the Jayhawks. The Cowboys move on to visit the Texas Longhorns that same day.
Pinson's Big Night Lifts UNC
The North Carolina Tar Heels need to pile up some victories before the end of the season, and Theo Pinson played a big role in one on Wednesday night. Pinson had a career-high 23 points, while Joel Berry III added 18, including the tiebreaking layup with 1:36 to play, as the Tar Heels edged the Syracuse Orange on the road, 78-74. The Orange trailed for the entire game until an 8-0 run in the second half tied the score and made things interesting down the stretch. They were coming off a big road win over Miami last weekend, but ran in to a North Carolina team that has now won six in a row. Syracuse hit half of their shots after halftime, but missed five shots in the final 74 seconds to keep North Carolina ahead for good. Frank Howard had 23 points to lead the Orange, who also got 17 points and 10 rebounds from the freshman Oshae Brissett, who now has 10 double-doubles on the year. The Tar Heels led by double digits in the first half, and nine at the break, before needing to hold on for their 11th conference win of the year. They will play host to the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday night. The Orange will hope to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive when they visit the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils on Saturday.
Golden Knights Earn 40th Win of Season
With each mark the Las Vegas Golden Knights reach, we realize how special this expansion team can really be this season. Alex Tuch had the tiebreaking goal in the second period on Wednesday night to lead the Golden Knights over the Calgary Flames, 7-3, for their 40th win of the season. The Golden Knights added three more in the third period, as they move to the top of the NHL standings with 84 points on the season. That is one point ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning, as that point total has already set a record for an NHL expansion team. Ryan Carpenter, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Luca Sbisa, Erik Haula, and Cody Eakin all scored in the win for Las Vegas, who is now 23-4-2 on their home ice at T-Mobile Arena. That is also a record for most home wins by a team in their inaugural season. Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in his eighth straight start, rebounding from a loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. They are now 14-6 following a loss this season, outscoring teams, 74-54, in those games. T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, and Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Flames, who will visit the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. The Vegas Knights will play host to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are making their route to the Big 12 regular season title a lot tougher than it once looked. They dropped their second straight game on Wednesday, 79-71, in upset fashion against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Kendall Smith scored 21 points, as the Cowboys shot 52 percent from the floor, including hitting half of their three-point shots. The crowd of 7,092 rushed the floor after upset, as the students were excited about the big win and the announcement that school was out the next day due to the weather. Lindy Waters had a career-high 18 points for the Cowboys, who had already won four games against top-20 teams this season. That list includes Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas, and West Virginia. The Red Raiders were unable to prevent themselves from being on that list, despite Zhaire Smith's 18 points and Jarrett Culver's 15. Their two straight losses comes after a seven-game winning streak, as they remained a half game behind the Kansas Jayhawks for the Big 12 lead. Leading scorer, Kennan Evans, who left the previous game with a toe injury, had just two points on 1-for-7 shooting. They will hope he can get back on track in Saturday's big game against the Jayhawks. The Cowboys move on to visit the Texas Longhorns that same day.
Pinson's Big Night Lifts UNC
The North Carolina Tar Heels need to pile up some victories before the end of the season, and Theo Pinson played a big role in one on Wednesday night. Pinson had a career-high 23 points, while Joel Berry III added 18, including the tiebreaking layup with 1:36 to play, as the Tar Heels edged the Syracuse Orange on the road, 78-74. The Orange trailed for the entire game until an 8-0 run in the second half tied the score and made things interesting down the stretch. They were coming off a big road win over Miami last weekend, but ran in to a North Carolina team that has now won six in a row. Syracuse hit half of their shots after halftime, but missed five shots in the final 74 seconds to keep North Carolina ahead for good. Frank Howard had 23 points to lead the Orange, who also got 17 points and 10 rebounds from the freshman Oshae Brissett, who now has 10 double-doubles on the year. The Tar Heels led by double digits in the first half, and nine at the break, before needing to hold on for their 11th conference win of the year. They will play host to the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday night. The Orange will hope to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive when they visit the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils on Saturday.
Golden Knights Earn 40th Win of Season
With each mark the Las Vegas Golden Knights reach, we realize how special this expansion team can really be this season. Alex Tuch had the tiebreaking goal in the second period on Wednesday night to lead the Golden Knights over the Calgary Flames, 7-3, for their 40th win of the season. The Golden Knights added three more in the third period, as they move to the top of the NHL standings with 84 points on the season. That is one point ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning, as that point total has already set a record for an NHL expansion team. Ryan Carpenter, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Luca Sbisa, Erik Haula, and Cody Eakin all scored in the win for Las Vegas, who is now 23-4-2 on their home ice at T-Mobile Arena. That is also a record for most home wins by a team in their inaugural season. Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves in his eighth straight start, rebounding from a loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. They are now 14-6 following a loss this season, outscoring teams, 74-54, in those games. T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, and Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Flames, who will visit the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. The Vegas Knights will play host to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
