Saturday was headlined by the Big 12/SEC Challenge, but there was much more than that on the day. There was an ACC showdown that lived up to its billing, a big overtime game also in the ACC, and a close call of note in the Atlantic 10. The CAA also saw a tie at the top emerge, while the Big South is looking like it was a couple of years ago with a logjam battling for the top.
For the first time since the Big 12/SEC Challenge began, the SEC came out on top, as they won six of the ten games, the latest piece of evidence that the conference is much better this year than in recent years. But here’s your note of the day: the last time Duke and North Carolina both lost at home on the same day was on February 21, 1973. For some context, I was a few years away from entering this earth at that time.
With that, here are notes from many of the day’s games, starting with the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Alabama 80, Oklahoma 73: In a game featuring three top freshmen, none had a game to remember, though Collin Sexton (18 points on 8-14 shooting) played well and Trae Young (17 points on 6-17 shooting, eight assists, five turnovers) was good but not great. The more important result is Alabama getting a quality win.
Kansas 79, Texas A&M 68: The Jayhawks look like they’re getting stronger as the season goes on, while the Aggies haven’t been able to turn their first two SEC wins into a winning streak and by extension some momentum.
Kentucky 83, West Virginia 76: Kentucky showed something tonight at a time they needed to. We’ve been wondering just how good this team is and how high their ceiling may be, and the thought has been that the answer is not as good as Kentucky fans would like. This game – a road win where they matched the aggressiveness of a naturally aggressive team to rally from being down by 15 at halftime – shows that there might be a little higher ceiling for this team. But they have to show this toughness more often.
Florida 81, Baylor 60: While the Bears still have plenty of quality win opportunities, at this point one has to think they’re long shots for the NCAA Tournament, which few would have imagined right after Thanksgiving.
Tennessee 68, Iowa State 45: Put Iowa State in the same category as Baylor. Neither is a bad team, but barring a drastic change from what they have shown, they’re only reaching the NCAA Tournament with a Big 12 Tournament title.
Texas Tech 70, South Carolina 63: A solid road win for the Red Raiders, especially as they were stronger down the stretch in finishing the game on a 13-2 run. For South Carolina, it’s a missed opportunity, though they will have more of them.
Arkansas 66, Oklahoma State 65: The Razorbacks did well to not let this one get away at home, even if it would not have been the worst loss possible. As it is, they trailed by eight at the half and needed to come back.
Texas 85, Ole Miss 72: This might have been Mohamed Bamba’s big coming-out party as he had 25 points and 15 rebounds to go with four blocked shots. The Longhorns need to let this be a boost when they resume the Big 12 slate.
Kansas State 56, Georgia 51: The Bulldogs let this one get away, as Kansas State finished the game on a 12-2 run. Georgia really needs to stop the bleeding now, as they’re a good team that has lost three straight and five of six. It won’t be easy at first, as Florida comes to Athens on Tuesday and then they go on the road for two.
Vanderbilt 81, TCU 78: This was perhaps the biggest surprise result, although reduced a bit by the fact that it was in Nashville. TCU may need to make up for this one with another quality win or two later, and fortunately for them they will have plenty of opportunities for that.
Virginia 65, Duke 63: Virginia had a pretty good lead in the first half, but Duke came alive in the second half with adjustments. The Cavaliers pulled it out to go to 9-0 in the ACC, in the process holding Duke to a season-low point total by 15 points.
NC State 95, North Carolina 91 (OT): We have to start talking about NC State as a possible NCAA Tournament team. They have wins over Arizona, Duke, Clemson, and now this one, which is more notable because it came on the road.
Florida State 103, Miami 94 (OT): The Hurricanes rallied valiantly after trailing for a lot of the game, but it was basically all Seminoles in the extra session.
Virginia Tech 80, Notre Dame 75: Notre Dame rallied valiantly, but couldn’t pull it out in a battle of teams seeking to even up their ACC mark.
Auburn 95, LSU 70: LSU has given a lot of teams fits and also won some games they weren’t expected to, so the thought was this would at least be a ballgame. Give Auburn credit for running away from them.
Mississippi State 74, Missouri 62: Both teams are now 3-5 in SEC play, but both with a very real chance to play their way into the NCAA Tournament based on their track records to date.
Nebraska 98, Iowa 84: The Cornhuskers are quietly 7-4 in Big Ten play, but still have some work to do. Getting to this point is not a bad start for them, though.
Arizona 74, Utah 73: The Wildcats remain adept at pulling out close ones, as they did so against Colorado two nights earlier and remain a game up on USC in the standings.
UCLA 89, Stanford 73: The Cardinal had worked their way into contention quite surprisingly early on, but have fallen back to earth a bit, including getting swept in LA.
Arizona State 80, Colorado 66: The Sun Devils stop the bleeding with this win.
Boise State 70, Air Force 64: The Broncos could have easily let this one get away, as Air Force played them tough and rallied. Chandler Hutchison didn’t have his best night. But they pulled it out on the road.
UNLV 88, San Diego State 78: The Runnin’ Rebels not only snap an 11-game losing streak to the Aztecs, but they get their first home conference win of the year as well.
Rhode Island 61, Duquesne 58: Duquesne led for much of the game and by as many as 15, but the Rams won at the buzzer. Give Duquesne credit for rebounding on the road after losing that lead in the latter part of the second half and bouncing back, although there are no moral victories.
