Alabama takes down Wichita State

With 3:07 left in the game, Grady was running upcourt and ran headfirst into Alabama’s Dazon Ingram before stumbling and falling to the ground. Gregg Marshall said in a radio interview after the game, that Grady said he wasn’t able to move but was able to talk and feel things. “We’ve got make sure when a guy is shooting as good as Bennie Boatwright, you’ve got to stand on his toes and make him do something different”. Trevor Cooney added 15 points and also made the all-tournament team.

Update: The Trojans are off to their best start since 2001 but face their first test of the season against the Shockers, who are coming off a loss to Tulsa, at the AdvoCare Invitational at the HP Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla.

After the Trojans had their lead cut to one, Boatwright’s three from the corner gave USC a 64-60 advantage with 4½ minutes left.

Boatright hit another three-pointer, and then had a steal before Katin Reinhardt made a three-pointer to extend the USC advantage to 70-62.

“Probably three or four times I can recall getting back-to-back points … feeling like we were about to make a run and they came down about every single time and hit a shot or got fouled or got an offensive rebound”, Baker said.

Baker’s fellow All-American candidate Fred VanVleet is out with a hamstring injury and fellow backcourt threat Landry Shamet is lost for 10-12 weeks with a foot injury. IL certainly had its moments in both halves Saturday night, but Iowa State also showed during the game’s decisive stretch that they can step up defensively.

Shannon Hale was the most effective shooter for Alabama in the first half, as he led the Tide with 12 points. The Wichita State Shockers earn fewer possessions with 68.7, but they score more points with 1.092.

“Disappointing”, Marshall said. “I thought we had a chance again, a lead midway through the second half and didn’t finish”.

The game was back-and-forth the entire way, as each team’s largest lead was only five points.

Hale was the game’s leading scoring, pouring in 20 points behind 6-of-10 shooting from the field. The Zags’ Silas Melson missed a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer as time expired with House contesting the shot. Two straight 3s by Miles Davis and Trevaughn Bluiett early in the second half kick-started the Muskies momentum as Xavier went on a 13-0 run and this game was suddenly a blowout, 43-28 with 13:20 left.