Date 12/20 || Time 8:00 || Venue Madison Square Garden || Video ESPN
Texas
Texas A&M, Auhmad Robinson Highlight Thrilling SEC Indoor Championships
Texas A&M senior Auhmad Robinson puts his hand around Aggies coach Pat Henry after the team won its … [+]
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Auhmad Robinson threw his left hand over Pat Henry’s shoulders and put his index finger in the air, signaling a first for even the Texas A&M men’s track and field team on Saturday inside the Fasken Indoor facility.
The Aggies’ first SEC Indoor Track and Field Championship.
It certainly did not happen without one last effort, with Robinson, the Texas A&M senior competing in his final conference meet, opening up the 4×400 with a 46.92-second split before Kimar Farquharson finished things off with a 45.22 second dagger, giving the Aggies and Henry, the 20-year head coach and nine-time NCAA team champion coach, a time of 3:03.09 to take down Arkansas, which had won five straight SEC titles dating back to 2020.
“All week, we’ve been saying we got a chance to make history,” said Robinson, highlighting the fact that the Arkansas men have won the meet 24 times since 1993. “This is our first SEC title ever win. So we did it as a team.”
And what would the SEC Indoor Championships be without surprise moments like this, the nation’s best track and field conference taking it down to the final inches over three days as the season heads to a close this month at NCAA Indoors in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The Texas A&M men earned a first, the Arkansas women claimed their 11th straight title, and both finished the night as SEC champions, capping off a wild few days of championship racing.
We were there for the ride. Here were the top three moments.
The Arkansas women celebrate after winning their 11th straight SEC Indoor Championship title on … [+]
Texas A&M senior Auhmad Robinson wins the 400 meter final at the SEC Indoor Championships in 45.07 … [+]
Auhmad Robinson’s Final Hurrah With Aggies At The SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships
Perhaps no sprinter in the country runs with more heart than Robinson, who claimed the first two SEC indoor championships of his career, clocking times of 45.07 seconds in the 400 meters and 3:03.09 in the 4×400.
While the Texas native out of Houston is just five-foot-eight inches, he packs a punch on the track, a year ago lowering his 400 meter personal best to 44.91 seconds.
He ran no slower than 45.62 this indoor season, proving he was the man to beat at SECs. But it was up to him on Saturday while the stakes were raised.
What pulled Robinson closer to the sun, he said, was the fact that this was his last conference meet.
“The majority of this team are seniors,” he said. “So this really meant a lot, and not just for me but for them. Just for us to have, like, that last memory, to get a ring that last time out.”
In a thrilling 400 meter final, Robinson edged Georgia’s Will Floyd at the line, clocking an NCAA No. 3 time of 45.07 to Floyd’s 45.24. Later, as the Aggies led by just three points over Arkansas going into the final event at SECs, Robinson was placed on lead rather than anchor to set the tone.
Across the track, the Aggies also saw wins from its distance medley relay team and Blake Harris in the heptathlon and from Samuel Whitmarsh in the 800m.
Whitmarsh earned his second straight SEC title, legging past Mississippi State’s Abdullah Hassan in 1:47.69.
“If it was easy, they would say everyone would do it,” he said.
Georgia’s Aaliyah Butler, a 2024 Olympian, ran the NCAA’s second-fastest 400 meters in history on … [+]
Aaliyah Butler’s NCAA Pursuit Continues At The SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships
A return to earth may have come for Aaliyah Butler this indoor season after the 21-year-old qualified for the Olympics and reached the semifinals of the 400 meters in Paris for Team USA.
She returned to Georgia and went back to the college oval.
But on Saturday, she made sure there was no malaise, factoring into two SEC Championship wins as she clocked the second-fastest time in NCAA history in the 400 meters, hitting 49.78 on the clock.
“I just kept thanking God and trusting my coaches,” Butler said. “And that’s what happened today. I just ran my race and executed the way I wanted to.”
With the meet winding down, she finished with a 49.87 split on the anchor of Georgia’s winning 4×400 relay, helping the Bulldogs to a time of 3:26.42 – while also outlasting South Carolina, which earned a 49.86 split from Jameesia Ford, also the winner of the 200 meter final, on the team’s third leg.
“I believe (SECs) is the hardest meet ever,” said Butler, who was fourth in the SEC outdoor final last year despite clocking a time of 49.79 seconds. “It brings up my nerves like that.”
Butler was just shy of the NCAA record of 49.48, a 2023 record last accomplished by Britton Wilson of Arkansas. Butler also pulled along Arkansas’ Isabella Whittaker, who was second in a time of 49.90, an NCAA No. 3 all-time performance.
South Carolina’s Jameesia Ford won the 200 meter final at the SEC Indoor Championships in 22.44 … [+]
Missouri’s Drew Rogers, celebrating at the line, won a thrilling 3,000 meter final on Saturday at … [+]
Missouri’s Drew Rogers Shocks In The Men’s 3K Final At The SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships
The most surprising finish of the night took place in the men’s 3,000 meters.
Nine runners entered the SEC final with season-best times faster than Missouri’s Drew Rogers.
In fact, the sophomore didn’t even own a 3K effort inside the NCAA’s top 50 performances on the season.
But when the race became tactical, Rogers found himself in a position to contend. Arkansas’ Yaseen Abdalla, Patrick Kiprop and Reuben Reina broke off over the final laps.
Rogers was not in a great position, finding himself in seventh or eighth at times. Reina made a big move on the backstretch and looked to be in a prime position to win.
“Obviously, there was crazy talent around here and I respected everyone going in,” Rogers said. “But I knew I had a fighting chance, and there was no one in there that was better than me. And when it comes down to 400, I believe that I’m better than everyone.”
Rogers responded, ultimately winning over Reina – the SEC champion in the mile – in the last meters in 7:53.61, which was a new Missouri record.
He ran his final 400 meters in 57.99 and his last lap in 27.08.
“It’s been a long road,” Rogers said of his win at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships. “We have this new coach now (Kyle Levermore). He’s stuck with us. He’s been through thick and thin with us. I owe it all to him and without him, I don’t think I would be where I am. So it’s been a long road, but we just believed and kept bringing the program up, so I’m blessed to be where I am.”
Next up on the calendar for college athletes is the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which take place from March 14-15 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
With the exception of Michigan on February 21st, Duke will finish off non-conference play on Saturday with Texas Tech in Madison Square Garden.
Why the Garden? Well, first because Duke has a lot of alum in the area. They call it Cameron North for a reason. And second, playing in MSG always draws a lot of attention. Duke could play in United Center – and in fact did, facing off against Arkansas there on November 27th – and it doesn’t draw the sort of attention that MSG does.
Years ago, Texas Tech was an afterthought. Then Chris Beard made the Red Raiders a major power and now Grant McCasland has done very well there too. He has an interesting history.
Other than two-year stints at Northeastern JUCO as an assistant and Arkansas State as a head coach, McCasland’s career has been entirely in the Lone Star state. He’s also been at Midland College, Midwestern State, Baylor as an assistant, North Texas and now Texas Tech.
And he’s won everywhere. And this is really important to understand: it’s really hard to win at places like Midland, Midwestern State, Arkansas State and North Texas. His NCAA record is 263-109 (.707) and 142-32 (.816).
For perspective, Mike Krzyzewski’s career winning percentage at Duke is .766. We’re the last people to take anything from Coach K, but even he’d probably admit it’s easier to succeed at Duke than it is at the places McCasland has coached.
Texas Tech finished 28-9 last season (McCasland’s Texas Tech record: 55-21. Winning percentage .724) and so far this season, is 8-3. The losses have come against Illinois (81-77), Purdue (86-56) and Arkansas (93-86).
Arkansas is the only common opponent but Texas Tech also played Wake Forest, so presumably that video will be a two-for-one for scouting purposes.
Impressively, he’s not coaching the same way at Texas Tech as he did at North Texas. With the Mean Green, with less talent, he played a more deliberate style. In Lubbock, he’s opened things up a bit. His offense is a little freer or maybe less structured is a better way to put it, or maybe less deliberate. He has more room for error with Texas Tech.
The unquestioned star for Texas Tech is JT Toppin, a 6-9/230 lb. junior who is a legitimate Player of the Year candidate. Toppin is putting up 21.9 ppg, 10.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He’s got a 7-0+ wingspan and is also an excellent defender. He needs to work on his outside game but is widely seen as a future pro. He’ll almost certainly guard Duke’s star Cameron Boozer.
McCaslin also has a solid backcourt with Chris Anderson and Donovan Atwell. Anderson, a 6-3 sophomore from Atlanta, is getting 19.3 ppg, 3.5 apg and an impressive 7.5 assists.
Atwell, a 6-5 senior, is putting up 11.3 ppg, 3 rebounds, a half an assist and 1.3 steals.
LeJuan Watts, a 6-6 junior, averages 14 ppg, 5.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
Jaylen Petty is a 6-1 freshman who is getting 26 mpg, so obviously McCaslin trusts him. He’s putting up 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
Tyeree Bryan is a 6-5 senior who is getting 5.6 ppg and 3.4 rebounds.
The last guy in the rotation, Luke Bamgboye, is 6-11/220 but he is injured and most likely won’t play Saturday.
McCaslin, clearly, is a brilliant coach, but he has had some issues this year, not least of all defense.
Texas Tech has struggled on the defensive end, which is one thing against Purdue or Illinois, but it was a problem against Northern Colorado (the Rockies UNC), where the Bears scored 90 points on the Red Raiders, shooting 44% on threes and 56% overall.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal said this about the game against Northern Colorado: “McCasland hasn’t gotten what he needs defensively from, really, anybody else on the team. He pointed to the team’s lack of ability to guard 1-on-1, in the post, covering switches and working through screens. After a solid defensive showing against LSU and a close game against Arkansas, McCasland said the team took ‘a big step back’ on the defensive end.”
That’s a tough assessment from the hometown paper.
Our guess though is that McCasland will figure out some of his issues between Tuesday’s win over the Bears and Saturday’s trip to New York.
And if Duke plays as poorly as it did in the first half against Lipscomb, Texas Tech won’t have to play great defense. They’ll just pick off balls like the Bisons did with Duke’s 16 first-half turnovers.
Part of that is down to exam/holidays and a lack of continuity, and indeed, that could be the case for Texas Tech’s tough game against Northern Colorado (by the way, we forgot to mention that the Bears were missing their best player, Quinn Denker).
Duke has tended to start slow this year and make it up in the second half and at times they may have been to reliant on Cam Boozer.
But we’ve seen signs of change.
Caleb Foster is turning into a solid presence and a guy who can do things when they need to be done. He’s reliable, in other words. Isaiah Evans hasn’t been shooting that well, but he’s due for a big game that might come in New York. And if not, he’s defending well, rebounding well and even blocking shots. He’s been terrific.
So has Patrick Ngongba, who has sort of snuck up on people. Last year he became a reliable presence off the bench but this year, he looks much more like a warrior. He’s really come on. Then there’s Nik Khamenia, who is as tough a player as we’ve seen in Duke blue for a while.
Maliq Brown is, well, Maliq Brown. He’s just a great asset, especially on defense. We’d like to see Dame Sarr take a step up, along with Darren Harris and Cayden Boozer. All three are very capable of playing better and Duke will go up a level when they do.
New York is a funny place to play. The Garden has such an aura that it can intimidate some players. There are other players who thrive there under the bright lights. It’ll be interesting to see who does this time.
The first year selling trees didn’t go as planned for one North Texas man.
Tim Miller, co-owner of Hidden Honey Farm in Midlothian, still had more than half of his inventory earlier this week. But he made the best of a tough situation.
One after another, families kept Miller busy picking, preparing and packing up trees— just in time for Christmas.
All of a sudden, trees were flying off the lot. But that wasn’t the case just days before.
With more than 100 Douglas firs still standing, Miller said sales had come to a grinding halt.
“Four days straight with no one,” Miller said.
With Christmas quickly approaching, he had a decision to make.
“We have two options: We’re going to have to dispose of 100 plus trees, or I can give them away and somebody will get some use out of them, so that’s what we decided to do,” he said.
On Tuesday, Miller posted on Facebook: “Our first year of selling Christmas trees didn’t go as well as we had hoped for… If anyone doesn’t have a tree, or knows of someone who needs a tree, they are free for the taking.”
Families who otherwise couldn’t afford a tree began showing up—and word spread quickly.
“I thought, ‘Hey, I wanted to get a Christmas tree for our house anyway. Let’s go get one!’” said Miriam Beachy, holding her 1-year-old son Jeremiah.
Miller said the response was overwhelming, with donations pouring in from across the country.
“All over! Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, California, somehow or another, people have seen our post and said, you know, we’d like to help,” he said. “I had no idea we would get the results that we have.”
In just two days, all 120 trees found their “fir”-ever homes.
“It really felt like a gift,” Beachy said.
“The appreciation that they have, and I know there’s results I’ll never know of,” Miller added.
He’s still deciding whether to sell trees again next Christmas, but said after the feedback and support he’s received, he’s leaning toward it.
Joey McGuire has worn many hats over his career through the high school and college coaching ranks, but he’s looking to add a new one: Commissioner of fixing the college football calendar.
The fourth-year head coach jokingly offered his name up for the self-imposed fake title Wednesday during a media availability, but his frustration with the current format is real. He believes every team should play Week 0, that a champion should be crowned by Jan. 1 and bowl games should be invitationals set for Week 1.
McGuire’s team had a historic season, winning a Big 12 title and earning a bye in the College Football Playoff. Its reward is 26 days of non-compete before playing in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. McGuire loves it for player health. He hates it because it makes football a two-semester sport.
“Texas high school playoffs are playing 16 games, and they’re crowning a state champion this weekend. FCS has 24 teams in their playoff and they’re crowning a national champion on January 5,” McGuire said. “People are so stuck on traditions and all that. I get that, man. I’m a traditionalist 100%. But guess what? It’s changed.”
By finishing the season on Jan. 1, teams would be able to seamlessly transition into the transfer portal, which opens on Jan. 2, he said. This doesn’t eliminate the unpredictable coaching changes that can happen at programs competing in the playoff, but McGuire argues that unfavorable personnel changing is inevitable regardless of calendar shifts.
Many programs with general managers can handle the current overlap of playoffs and the portal window. Some programs’ philosophies, such as Texas Tech’s, separate the responsibilities while in season. McGuire’s job in recruiting extends only as far as daily texts at this stage in the season, while general manager James Blanchard is working 20-plus-hour days on recruiting trails.
However, only 12 teams are playing for a national championship in December. The rest of the country is either finished with its season or competing in bowl games with a withered staff and roster due to opt-outs and the rapid coaching carousel.
McGuire has his solution ready for that problem.
“How about moving the bowl games to an invitation? And that would be week one, Aug. 23, and we’re playing bowl games Thursday, Friday, Saturday,” McGuire said. “ … You’re going to lose a home game, but you still would have a huge attraction TV-wise. It would be a big watch because you know everybody’s dying for college football week one.”
As McGuire stated, the invitational bowl game would erase a home game for teams. But McGuire wouldn’t be a successful commissioner if he didn’t have a solution to ensure teams could fill out their schedules as they pleased.
“We’ve got these kids all summer long. Camp doesn’t need to be a month long,” McGuire said. “We can play zero week, and you know rock and roll.”
Unfortunately for the hopeful-minded “commissioner,” changes in the college football calendar start with the networks, which he does not work with. However, McGuire said he will speak on the subject whenever given the chance because the conversation starts with him and other college football coaches being outspoken in a time of change.
Find more Texas Tech coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
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