s, assuming he buys into his role

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SAN ANTONIO - Too big. Too strong. Too fast. Baylor was too much of just about everything for Creighton and Doug McDermott to handle. And because of it, the sixth-seeded Bears are rolling out of Texas toward California and the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 after an impressive 85-55 win Sunday night in the West Regional. Isaiah Austin and Canadian Brady Heslip each scored 17 points and Baylor used suffocating defence to shut down McDermott, ending the career of one of college basketballs most prolific scorers. "We did a good job making it tough on him," Bears coach Scott Drew said. McDermott, who averaged 27 points this season, finished with 15 but had just three in the first half as Baylor built a 20-point lead. McDermott ranks fifth on the NCAA career scoring list with 3,150 points. Baylor (26-11) had five players score in double figures and shot 64 per cent in one of the dominant performances of the tournament. The rest of the West bracket may want to pay attention to this one. A team that looked like a wreck six weeks ago with a 2-8 start in the Big 12 is brimming with confidence to match all that muscle in the lineup. "We take pride in people hating on us, and we love proving people wrong," Austin said. "Everybody has bought into the one goal that we have in mind and that is winning a national championship." Baylor plays No. 2 seed Wisconsin on Thursday in Anaheim. In Baylors two previous trips to the Sweet 16, it fell one game short of the Final Four. McDermott carried the Bluejays back to the round of 32 for the third year in a row, and had done it in spectacular style, leading the nation in scoring with a sublime shooting touch and uncanny knack to slither his way through defenders for layups and putback baskets. McDermott spurned the chance to turn pro after last season, and this was the year the Bluejays and their senior-laden lineup were expected to drive Creighton farther into the NCAA tournament than any Bluejays team before them. But Baylors defence gave him nothing: neither space to shoot nor even chances for his teammates to pass him the ball. And for all the talk about Creightons maturity and bonding, Baylor made the Bluejays look small and slow. "This is the worst weve played all season, and it just stinks that its the last one. But that doesnt take away from all my memories here. Its tough to go out this way," McDermott said. Baylor came out blazing from long range, knocking down five 3-pointers in the first 7 minutes. Kenny Chery of Montreal made three and when Heslip, who was 0 for 6 in Fridays win over Nebraska, swished his first against Creighton, he mockingly shook the fingers on both hands as he loped back down the court. "We were just expecting it to be a fight, to be honest," said Heslip, whos from Burlington, Ont. McDermott, meanwhile, struggled to find any kind of space inside or out against Baylors zone defence and badly misfired on his first attempt, a baseline shot that missed everything. This rout was just beginning. The Bears flexed their muscle early and often with a lineup built for the rigours of the Big 12. Austin is 7-foot-1 and he teamed with 6-10 forward Cory Jefferson in the frontcourt. When Creighton missed a shot, the typical result was three Bears under the basket with no Bluejays around. Baylors bench was just as intimidating. When reserve forward Rico Gathers pushed his 6-foot-8, 270-pound frame through the lane for a layup, two Creighton defenders were powerless to stop him. By the time Baylor had built a 20-point halftime lead, McDermott had taken only three shots, made one and had two fouls. "We knew we had them on their heels," Austin said. "We wanted to step on their throat." Even when Creighton got a spark — Ethan Wragge made two 3-pointers early in the second half — Baylor simply matched basket for basket, denying any hopes of a rally. Soon it was showtime as Baylors lead kept growing. Jefferson slammed down an alley-oop dunk for a 58-34 lead with just more than 12 minutes to play. Gathers added another rim-rattler a few minutes later, his broad shoulders soaring to the basket to punctuate the night. When McDermott left the game with 2:31 to play, he hugged his father, Creighton coach Greg McDermott, before retreating to the bench and burying his face in a towel. "Im not sure it was Baylor being that good or us being that bad," Greg McDermott said. "Over the course of the season youre going to have a few clunkers. We had one at the wrong time." Andrew Benintendi Jersey . Less than 24 hours after the Wolves lost at home to the Mavericks, 100-98, NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn announced Tuesday that Kevin Love was fouled on his right arm by Shawn Marion in the closing seconds and should have been awarded two free throws. Pedro Martinez Jersey . Team officials travelled to Los Angeles on Thursday night to meet with the free agent, a person with knowledge of the plans said. http://www.redsoxjerseyauthenticshop.co ... ox-jersey/. Kansas City became the first team in baseball history to win four extra-inning games in a single postseason on Friday, as Alex Gordon crushed a leadoff homer in the 10th and Mike Moustakas added the deciding two-run blast in the Royals 8-6 win. Craig Kimbrel Jersey . By then it was clear: The 76ers were going to win for the first time in two months, and they were going to do it with ease. The 76ers snapped their NBA record-tying, 26-game losing streak, routing the Detroit Pistons 123-98 on Saturday night to avoid establishing the longest skid in U. David Ortiz Jersey . -- David Price didnt think he would be in Port Charlotte this spring.TORONTO - Second chances are rare in life, let alone in the NBA. The Raptors are confident that newly re-acquired forward James Johnson will take advantage of his. In a surprising roster move early Thursday morning, Toronto finalized an agreement to bring back the 27-year-old free agent at a reported $5 million, fully guaranteed, over the next two years. Toronto first acquired Johnson from the Bulls in exchange for a first-round pick (which was used on Heat point guard Norris Cole) during the 2010-11 season. The following campaign was a turbulent one for Johnson as he butted heads with new head coach Dwane Casey over his role in the teams offence, ultimately leading to a late-season benching. That summer, the Raptors flipped Johnson to Sacramento for a second-rounder (used on UConn product DeAndre Daniels last month). He played briefly for the Kings and spent the start of the 2013-14 campaign in the D-League before joining the Memphis Grizzlies and reviving his career, averaging 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 52 contests last season. Now, with a winning environment in place and a need at the small forward position, one that Johnson addresses, Casey and the Raptors have put the past behind them, believing the five-year vet will do the same. Having met with Casey, the Raptors are convinced Johnson has matured and recognizes the importance of this opportunity. It could be his last shot. "The number one thing with James, and weve had long discussions about that, is his role," Casey told reporters in Las Vegas, where his team is practicing ahead of their upcoming Summer League tournament. "He understands that now, which is great. In this business, theres never a person who youll say, Hey, Ill never coach that guy [again]." "Hes had his issues in the past," general manager Masai Ujiri reiterated, "but havent we all? We will help him get over them and this is a good opportunity for him. He has to take advantage of it." Newly re-signed point guard Kyle Lowry is a good example of what one can accomplish given the chance tto redeem themselves.ddddddddddddLowry clashed with Casey over playing time and philosophy during his subpar first season with Toronto before breaking out in a more defined role last year. "I think hes grown up," Lowry said of Johnson Thursday morning. "You get to the certain point, even myself, you get a maturity level that, it comes with age. I think hes going to be able to understand, listen, Im a lot older, Im more understanding of life and coach isnt going to make me this or make me that. At the end of the day, youre playing for the players, your teammates and the organization. I think coaching him will be fine. They will get along well." Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, a good friend of Johnson, were advocates of bringing him on board. Johnson - a big, versatile, defensive-minded forward - is the type of player the Raptors had been clamouring for and could alleviate some of the pressure from DeRozan and Terrence Ross, who were exposed by Joe Johnson and the Nets wings during their first-round playoff loss. Johnson, as you may recall, is a second-degree black belt, undefeated in seven MMA fights and 20 kickboxing matches. With a 6-foot-9, 245-pound frame, hes sure to strike fear in the eyes of the leagues top perimeter players, assuming he buys into his role as a defensive stopper. When Dave Joerger, Johnsons former coach in Memphis, was asked about the forwards reputation for occasionally trying to do too much on the offensive end, he joked, "I just let him do too much." "I just say, Go, wreck it," Joerger had told TSN.ca back in December. "I think hes changed his body. I think that hes able to sidestep guys, hes able to get by guys with his first and second step and then gather and finish around the rim, where I think maybe earlier in his career - carrying a little bit more weight - he wouldnt get past the first defender. I just think hes a lot quicker." The Wake Forest product appeared in 87 games as a Raptor, starting 51, over parts of two seasons, averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. Cheap Stitched Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Discount Jerseys Wholesale NFL Hoodies Cheap NFL Womens Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Throwback Jerseys ' ' '