The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE college basketball weekend produced mixed results for several of our Bahamian basketball players at the Division I level.

After battling plantar fasciitis for several weeks, Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr was finally sidelined due to the nagging foot injury and the Spartans lost their second consecutive game of the season (77-76) to the Wisconsin Badgers.

The No.4 ranked Spartans head coach Tom Izzo said Nairn’s absence will likely last “a couple of weeks.”

Nairn previously started all 18 games at point guard and averaged 24.1 minutes per game despite the injury. “It’s become so bad that we’ve just got to give him some time off,” Izzo said.

In the Big 12, Buddy Hield and the No.2 ranked Oklahoma Sooners protected home court with a 70-68 win over No.11 West Virginia. Hield finished with a team high 17 points, four rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots in the win. He shot 5-11 from the field and 4-8 from three-point range.

Following Khadeem Lattin’s go ahead layup, with just under three seconds left to play, Hield stole the inbounds pass sealing the win for the Sooners.

“What Khadeem did was special. So I just knew I had to find him afterwards. I just tried to stay in the moment and make sure they didn’t get a good shot off. But hats off to him because that was an all effort kind of play and saved us from overtime tonight. So I was really happy for him,” he said. “It just goes to show how determined this team is to win. Coach Kruger is always telling us how important it is to finish these close games. We have a lot of veteran guys that want the ball late in games but no matter what we do, and who gets the last shot, we find a way to win. We have the will to win, so we just have to keep growing from this and now it’s just all about the next game.”

In the Southeastern conference, Tavario Miller and the No.15 Texas A&M Aggies continue to lead the conference with a 15-2, 5-0 record. The Long Island native scored two points in the Aggies 79-45 win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

In the Big 12, the Texas Longhorns’ Shaquille Cleare continues to make the most of his opportunities with starting centre Cameron Ridley sidelined with an injury. Cleare finished with six points and three rebounds in the Longhorns’ 74-69 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

In the American Athletic Conference, Danrad “Chicken” Knowles finished with four points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in the Cougars’ 67-59 loss to the UConn Huskies.

In the Northeast Conference, Mike Carey Jr and the Wagner Seahawks have already tied last season’s win total less than halfway through the season. Carey has posted double doubles in the last two games, 13 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday’s loss to LIU Brooklyn and another 13 points and 10 rebounds in a 70-48 win over Central COnnecticut State.

In the Big South, senior forward Tristian Curtis posted six points and five rebounds in Saturday’s 71-68 win over High Point, the second straight win for his COastal Carolina Chanticleers.