The Morning Dish – Sunday, February 20th
Illini Keep Winning: Although they led the entire second half and most of the first half, Illinois didn’t have it easy in their 75-65 win over host Iowa. Foul trouble plagued the Illini (27-0, 13-0 Big Ten), who were led by 18 points from Deron Williams and Dee Brown. The Hawkeyes (16-9, 4-8) had leads early the first half, but couldn’t pull it out. Adam Haluska had 20 points to lead Iowa.
Jayhawks Fall: It took overtime, but Iowa State kept its winning ways up in a big way with a 63-61 win at Kansas. Curtis Stinson capped a 29-point effort by scoring all seven of the Cyclones’ points in the extra session as they won their seventh straight game after losing their first five Big 12 games. Kansas (20-3, 10-2 Big 12), which was led by Wayne Simien’s 17 points and 11 rebounds, rallied from a nine-point deficit to force overtime. Iowa State (15-8, 7-5) won its fourth game over a ranked team during the current streak.
Eagles Pull Another One Out: Boston College made seven free throws in the final minute to seal a 65-60 win over Syracuse in Chestnut Hill. For most of the game, the Eagles (22-1, 11-1 Big East) had the lead, taking the lead for good on a three-pointer by Nate Doornekamp (his only points of the game, along with eight rebounds and six assists) with 18:33 left in the second half, but they had to stave off several rallies by the Orange (22-5, 9-4). Jared Dudley led Boston College with 21 points and Craig Smith had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and the Eagles outrebounded the Orange by a 45-31 margin. Gerry McNamara led Syracuse with 18 points but shot 5-17 from the field, including 2-11 on three-pointers.
Wildcats Handle Mississippi State: Kentucky broke open a close game in the second half and created 23 turnovers in a 94-78 win over visiting Mississippi State. Perhaps more important than the loss for Mississippi State (18-8, 6-6 SEC) is an injury to senior forward Lawrence Roberts, who went down late in the second half and was in obvious pain. The team trainer told a TV sideline reporter that they are concerned above the knee, which is a good sign, but more won’t be known until they return to Starkville and he is re-evaluated. The Wildcats (20-3, 11-1) were led by Randolph Morris’ 17 points.
Sooners Come From Behind: Drew Lavender’s controversial shot just before the buzzer capped a rally from a 16-point deficit and gave Oklahoma a 69-68 win over Kansas State in Manhattan. Officials had to review the last play to make sure it left Lavender’s hand in time, and it left with three-tenths of a second still left to give him a season-high 29 points. The Sooners (19-6, 8-4 Big 12) shot 49% from the field, but a turnover differential of -8 helped make it interesting. Cartier Martin led Kansas State (13-10, 3-10) with 22 points.
Streaking Utes: Andrew Bogut led Utah’s second-half rally by scoring 20 of his game-high 23 points as the Utes won their 18th straight game, a 65-56 decision over host Air Force. Utah (23-3, 11-0 Mountain West) shot over 55% from the floor and got 15 points from Bryant Markson.
Also Keeping the Streak Alive: Pacific led for the final 30 minutes of the game, but not without challenges from visiting UTEP as the Tigers took home a 73-66 win over the Miners. David Doubley scored 21 points, including a clinching three-pointer with over a minute left, to lead the Tigers (22-2), who won their 18th straight game. The Miners (20-7) got 21 points and 12 rebounds from Omar Thomas.
Spartans Win With Defense, Of Course: Michigan State held Purdue below 37% shooting en route to a 68-57 win in West Lafayette in Gene Keady’s next-to-last home game. A 33-22 rebounding edge also helped the Spartans (19-4, 10-2 Big Ten), who have won five straight and nine of ten. Purdue (7-16, 3-9) was led by David Teague’s game-high 15 points.
Bearcats Hold On: A short-handed Cincinnati team held off a late charge by visiting UAB in their 72-69 win. The Bearcats (20-6, 8-4 C-USA) were missing three players due to the flu, but got a big effort from Jason Maxiell (22 points, 11 rebounds) and had a 46-23 rebounding edge to offset 22 turnovers and 38% shooting. UAB (16-9, 6-6) struggled from the free throw line once again, making just 10 of 21 shots. The Blazers were led by 16 points each from Donnell Taylor and Marvett McDonald.
Morrison Wins It: Adam Morrison capped a career game with the game-winning jumper with under a second to go in Gonzaga’s 75-73 win over visiting San Francisco. Morrison finished with a career-high 28 points and was supported by J.P. Batista (17 points) and Ronny Turiaf (14 points, eight rebounds) as the Bulldogs (21-4, 11-2 West Coast) avenged an earlier loss to the Dons. John Cox led San Francisco (14-11, 5-7) with 25 points.
Gators Lose: Brandon Bass continued his stellar play of late, scoring 27 points to lead LSU to a 77-73 upset of Florida in Baton Rouge. Bass scored 10 of those points at the free throw line, where the Tigers (15-8, 8-4 SEC) went 29-34 and had a big edge. David Lee led Florida (16-7, 8-4) with 21 points.
Huskies Win In-State Battle: Washington never trailed and forced 22 turnovers in their 68-55 win over Washington State. The Huskies held the Cougars to 17 points in the first half and built a comfortable lead that they would hang on to the remainder of the game. Tre Simmons led Washington (21-4, 11-3 Pac-10) with 16 points, while Mike Jensen added 13 points and Brandon Roy had 11. Kyle Weaver came off the bench to lead Washington State (10-13, 5-9) with 15 points.
A Few Routs on the Landscape: A few ranked teams who made it look easy on Saturday. North Carolina (22-3, 10-2 ACC) rolled over Clemson (12-13, 2-10) 88-56, keeping the Tigers winless on the road in the series. Oklahoma State (20-3, 10-2 Big 12) got 25 points from John Lucas and beat Texas Tech (16-7, 8-4) going away, 85-56. Alabama (21-4, 10-2 SEC) made 13 of 27 three-pointers in an 87-68 win over visiting South Carolina (14-9, 6-6). Connecticut (17-6, 9-3 Big East) routed host Rutgers (8-15, 2-11) 85-63, getting 21 points each from Josh Boone and Charlie Villanueva. Charlotte (19-4, 10-2 C-USA) won its fifth straight game, an 86-67 decision at Tulane (9-14, 3-9) behind 27 points from Eddie Basden.
Bubble Implications: A number of games involved teams that may be on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Here are a few results among those games.
- Nevada (20-5) got 31 points and 14 rebounds from Nick Fazekas in a 74-64 win over visiting Vermont (19-5).
- Miami (Ohio) (17-6) got 24 points and nine rebounds from Danny Horace and shot over 51% from the field in a 65-58 win over Wichita State (18-6).
- Texas A&M (16-7, 5-7 Big 12) picked up a 92-77 win at Colorado (13-11, 4-8) behind a career-high 32 points from Antoine Wright.
- Host Minnesota (17-9, 7-6 Big Ten) held on for a 52-50 win over Ohio State (18-9, 7-6).
- Southern Illinois (22-6) picked up a 65-54 win at Kent State (16-10) behind 22 points from Jamal Tatum.
- Arizona State (18-9, 7-8 Pac-10) got 23 points from Ike Diogu and 22 from Steve Moore in a 66-56 win over Oregon (12-11, 4-10).
Tonight’s Menu
• Duke hosts Wake Forest in a big ACC showdown, while Florida State hosts Georgia Tech in other ACC action.
• Pittsburgh heads across the state to take on Villanova in one of three Big East games, as Georgetown travels to St. John’s and West Virginia hosts Seton Hall.
• Arizona hosts Oregon State and UCLA travels north to take on Stanford in Pac-10 play.
• Two important Conference USA games are on tap as Louisville hosts St. Louis and Marquette welcomes DePaul.
• Among the mid-majors in action, Boston University hosts cross-town rival Northeastern in a pivotal America East matchup.
