Minnesota Timberwolves

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Nebraska&rsquo;s Emmanuel Bandoumel will require surgery and miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee in a game over the weekend, coach Fred Hoiberg announced Monday.
Bandoumel&rsquo;s knee buckled as he drove to the basket in the first half of the Cornhuskers&rsquo; 76-65 loss Saturday to Penn State. He is the second Nebraska starter in two weeks to sustain a season-ending injury. Juwan Gary is out with a shoulder injury.
Bandoumel, a fifth-year guard who transferred from SMU, started all 20 games for the Huskers (10-10, 3-6 Big Ten) and was averaging 8.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
&ldquo;I am heartbroken for Emmanuel to have his college career end this way,&rdquo; Hoiberg said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said all season that Emmanuel is one of the best defenders in the country, and he impacts the game in so many ways beyond the measurables.&rdquo;
Bandoumel had started 84 consecutive games since his first season at SMU. He played 100 Division I games and totaled 880 points, 351 rebounds and 160 assists during three seasons at SMU and one season at Nebraska. He began his career at Hill College in 2018-19.

Bandoumel’s knee buckled as he drove to the basket in the first half of the Cornhuskers’ 76-65 loss Saturday to Penn State.

Knee injury ends season for Nebraska’s Emmanuel Bandoumel

40 games into the 2021-22 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls stand alone atop the Eastern Conference standings with the third best win percentage in the league. Their 27-13 start is an impressive flip from their 18-22 record at the same point last year, in an arguably more competitive conference than in years prior. The Bulls notably haven't made the playoffs since Fred Hoiberg's second season as head coach with one of the uhhh ... most interesting roster build experiments in recent memory.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This was only 5 years ago <a href="https://t.co/LEKVnSUeV6">pic.twitter.com/LEKVnSUeV6</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1482387876931325958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Bulls have legitimately carved their path this season &mdash; they're 15-10 against the current top-10 seeds in each conference. They beat up on the bad teams, and have also shown their worth against playoff teams. However, they are only 3-5 against the top teams in the league and only have one top-8 win outside of their two wins against Brooklyn. That is of course not everything, and the Bulls have been impacted by injuries and COVID absences, but the majority of the teams in the NBA can make a similar claim.&nbsp;
Chicago is a very good basketball team, much better than most expected coming into the season (maybe even better than the front office expected), but they have some notable flaws when looking at the highest levels of team play in the NBA. While I of course disagree with writing them off as a playoff team, I'm not sure how to view them as a true contender. Being this good is GREAT, but it brings up difficult questions for an organization.
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The defense that inspired early in the year has fallen off, dropping significantly each month, down to 26th in defensive efficiency since Christmas, per Cleaning the Glass. Alex Caruso has missed a great deal of time and his impact has been heavily missed, but the overall activity and attention to detail just hasn't quite been there in the same way.
Patrick Williams entered the year with a great deal of expectations for his sophomore campaign &mdash; with Chicago looking for a guy who would hopefully paper over some of the concerns over lack of a bigger wing defender and function as a vital cog in the offensive flow. Unfortunately, he only managed five games before being lost for the season due to a severe wrist injury. The Bulls have struggled to find a consistent fifth option release valve who can capably space, defend, and be a neutral or better decision-maker all in conjunction.
DeMar DeRozan has played at a level that will place him on MVP ballots. Zach LaVine's own All-NBA play has been overshadowed to a degree by his teammate. It is so hard for an organization to look at this year &mdash; with two players performing this well &mdash; and deciding to just ride it out, in spite of the ability to make moves to better equip themselves for a postseason run. While I wouldn't expect a steep decline from DeMar next season, it's of course a reality that seasons like this are not often replicable, especially considering his age. Contention windows are smaller than typically believed or theorized, and man they are fickle.
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Threading the needle
Speaking of possible moves to make &mdash; they exist because of intrigue caused by the youth on the Bulls' roster. Wendell Carter Jr. has excelled in Orlando this year (and was unfairly judged in Chicago), but moving on from him was a necessary part of Chicago's forward progression. While Nikola Vucevic has struggled this season (he's been better from the field recently, but his three-point range hasn't been there), he's still been essential to the Bulls when they're at their absolute best. It's also important to note that moves don't just happen in a vacuum. If the Vucevic trade isn't made and the Bulls don't show their full commitment to a playoff push and winning with Zach LaVine last season, it's reasonable to assume that that would negatively impact the likelihood of any of the signings that took place the following off-season.&nbsp;
Would it be nice to have Wendell, those first-rounders, and still have this same team? Hell-freakin'-yes, but that's not how it works!
When I talk to scouts, coaches, or fans, often the idea of 'threading the needle' and winning with a team while still maximizing youth development is brought up. That is just so difficult to actually do. Patrick Williams could develop into a very good basketball player &mdash; in fact I would bet on it &mdash; but I do question how capable he is of reaching his best possible outcome in Chicago. He's been cast into a smaller and different role while simultaneously being given small margins for error. That's without even taking into account his unfortunate injury.
Coby White's stellar player (<a href="https://ontapsportsnet.com/2022/01/12/chicago-bulls-coby-white-hit-stride-stats-highlights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read this article</a> by Larry Golden if you haven't, it's fantastic), has thrown another variable into the equation. Since returning from health and safety protocols on Dec. 19, through 13 games, Coby is averaging 16.0 points per game with incredible efficiency (66% True Shooting percentage), bombing from deep (43.2%) and is overall more comfortable and adapted to an off-ball role as a secondary scorer off the bench. His defense, while still relatively poor, is much improved from last season. He's playing fantastic basketball and has been a significant positive for the Bulls over the past month.
He's also greatly increased his trade value.
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I don't have an answer as to what the Bulls should do. In some ways, I'm not sure that there is a right or wrong answer. Staying the course, maintaining stability, and not selling out for a potential title shot may be the right move for a team that's struggled to find its footing since Derrick Rose's injury. Maybe exchanging youth for established talent to round out the roster, bolster depth, and shore up perceived weaknesses is what sets up a deep playoff run and plants the seeds for the next great crop of Bulls basketball &mdash; perhaps luring in veteran free agents or opening the door to the next star who wants out of a poor environment this off-season.&nbsp;
I could write all about how I think trading for Harrison Barnes would add a valuable elite shooter and four who can draw defenses in the slot (something the Bulls strongly lack). Or about Jerami Grant's potential to make an impact defensively with his length and tenacity at the point of attack, or roaming weak-side in the Bulls scheme while doing enough offensively to be guarded. I HAVE written about how I think Arturas Karnisovas should look to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rotation-players-making-the-most-of-roster-incosistency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pry Jalen McDaniels away from Charlotte</a> to add another rotational forward with upside, all while not giving up as much as one of the veteran deadline darlings may require.
Ultimately, the Bulls may well end up surprising us again in the playoffs without any change, even if I doubt the chances of that. There is no simple solution, nor is there a defined formula, and that's what makes the Bulls so fascinating from a team-building standpoint. How the Bulls decide to capitalize is one of the more interesting storylines to follow, as we head toward the Feb. 10 trade deadline. Getting good fast makes things uncertain, but that's positive pressure that many organizations can only hope for.

The Chicago Bulls have impressed with their play this season and face difficult questions on how to handle their immediate future.

Can the Bulls go all-in for a title? Should they?

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Playing minus suspended coach Bruce Pearl, No. 18 Auburn made 16 steals and routed Nebraska 99-68 on Saturday.
Pearl began his two-game suspension imposed by the NCAA on Friday. Auburn was placed on probation for four years for unethical conduct involving former associate head coach Chuck Person. Pearl was penalized for failing to monitor his assistant and adequately promote compliance.
Assistant coach Wes Flanigan served as acting coach.
Center Walker Kessler and guard Zep Jasper each had five steals and Auburn scored 30 points off 20 turnovers. Jabari Smith had 21 points to lead the Tigers (8-1).
Auburn held Nebraska (5-6) without a basket for a stretch of almost seven minutes in the first half. The Tigers took control with a 13-0 run at the start of the Cornhuskers&rsquo; cold-shooting stretch.
Nebraska trailed by 21 points in the first half and again in the second half before cutting the deficit to 55-41 with a 7-0 run.
Auburn put the game away with a 14-0 burst that made it 76-47. The run included three 3-pointers by Wendell Green Jr., who scored 19 points.
Smith, a 6-foot-10 freshman from Fayetteville, Georgia, showed off his versatility by making three 3-pointers while also taking advantage of his height with two second-half jams.&nbsp;
Green had a steal before leading a fast break he capped by throwing the ball off the backboard to set up a crowd-pleasing jam by Smith.
C.J. Wilcher led Nebraska with 17 points. Bryce McGowans had 14.
Auburn led 12-9 before pulling away with a 13-0 run. Jaylin Williams sank a 3-point and added a three-point play during the stretch.
The matchup was the first of four games in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event at State Farm Arena.
BIG PICTURE
Nebraska: Guards Keon Edwards and Sam Holberg did not travel after being held out of practice with a viral infection. Edwards is a part-time starter. Freshman Wilhelm Breidenbach, hurt his knee in Tuesday&rsquo;s 102-67 loss to Michigan and also did not travel with the team.
Auburn: The Tigers showed impressive offense depth, with ample support for Smith and Green. Devan Cambridge scored 14 points. K.D. Johnson had 12 and Williams added 10.
UP NEXT
Nebraska plays Kansas State on Dec. 19.
Auburn plays North Alabama on Tuesday night.

Playing minus suspended coach Bruce Pearl, No. 18 Auburn made 16 steals and routed Nebraska 99-68 on Saturday.

Minus suspended coach Pearl, No. 18 Auburn routs Nebraska

Lincoln, Nebraska has not been the traditional home of one-and-dones or high-profile recruits in years past, but Bryce McGowens is looking to change that.&nbsp;
As the No. 28 recruit in the RSCI rankings, McGowens headlines a consensus top-20 recruiting class for head coach Fred Hoiberg&rsquo;s Nebraska Cornhuskers. McGowens selected the program after decommitting from Florida State in October 2020. He opted instead to join his older brother, Trey McGowens, who transferred from Pittsburgh to Nebraska after two seasons.
Bryce&rsquo;s arrival to the Nebraska program has made Lincoln a must-see stop on the scouting trail this season, and the early returns have been extremely promising. Through eight games, McGowens has averaged 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest while shooting 46% from the field. He has shouldered a massive workload to start the season, frequently taking turns running the offense alongside Arizona State transfer Alonzo Verge Jr. With Trey suffering a foot injury that&rsquo;s expected to keep him out 6-to-8 weeks, we have seen Bryce take on an even bigger responsibility. His ability to carry a large offensive workload is what makes the younger McGowens so special.
BasketballNews.com Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock detailed his thoughts on McGowens:
&ldquo;The most noticeable aspects that pop out about Bryce McGowens as a prospect are his terrific positional size for a guard at 6-foot-7 and his potential to score at three levels, while also being able to create off of the dribble. He seems to have a bit of a quick trigger, so improving his shot selection is something that I&rsquo;d like to see him address. However, with proper coaching from former NBA player Fred Hoiberg and his staff, I expect him to continue to improve throughout the season. McGowens&rsquo; potential to develop into a versatile NBA-level scorer is very intriguing. He is a prospect that I am excited about, and I certainly look forward to monitoring his development.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17226392_lg.jpg" alt="" width="549" height="365" /> Athletic success was seemingly in the cards from the word &ldquo;Go&rdquo; in the McGowens family, as athletic prowess runs throughout the family tree. Bryce and Trey&rsquo;s mother, Pam, was a basketball player at Western Carolina, and now is the women&rsquo;s varsity head coach at her alma mater Wren High School in Piedmont, South Carolina. Their father, Bobby, played football at Clemson before transferring to South Carolina State as a dual-sport athlete in football and basketball, and he now works as a principal and basketball coach. The family ties extend all the way to the youngest McGowens sibling, Raina, who is a Class of 2024 guard at Wren.
In an interview with the Greenville News, Pam stated: &ldquo;Bobby and I never said, &lsquo;This is what you&rsquo;re going to do because mom and dad did it,&rsquo; I think just us being coaches, they were those gym rats and became interested in the sport. They fell in love with it.&rdquo;
Bryce began his high school career at Wren, too, before eventually transferring to Legacy Early College (SC) to finish his prep career. During his senior year, McGowens was named the 2020-2021 Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina, joining Josiah-Jordan James, Aaron Nesmith and P.J. Dozier as one of the recent recipients of the award. He was also named to the Jordan Brand Classic roster, but the event was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the beginning of this season has been any indication, there will be more accolades and recognitions on the horizon for Bryce McGowens. The Nebraska freshman will continue to be a player to track as we progress towards the 2022 NBA Draft.
Bryce McGowens is currently ranked No. 25 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

Grant Aqui shares his takeaways on Nebraska freshman standout Bryce McGowens and details his family history in basketball.