North Carolina’s win over Gonzaga and some non-game news was covered in the Morning Dish. Here, we have notes from a number of Saturday’s games, as it was a very busy day of action with a lot of good games.
Kansas 74, Villanova 71: It was a tough week for Villanova, but the Wildcats are getting challenged and will be ready for Big East play. Kansas got another big game from Dedric Lawson with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
Tennessee 102, Memphis 92: A great rivalry game that almost turned into a little more late, but it ends a nice week for Tennessee. As early as next year, when Memphis gets the talent Penny Hardaway is bringing in, this should be even better.
Michigan 70, Western Michigan 62: Put this in the “a win is a win” category, and also note that for some teams, a game like this turns into a loss.
Auburn 75, UAB 71 (OT): Jared Harper comes up big again (31 points) as the Tigers keep winning. Harper made more free throws (15) than UAB attempted (11).
Nevada 72, South Dakota State 68: Though it was a bit of a defensive struggle, this was a very entertaining game and a quality win for Nevada. South Dakota State did well to hang in despite Mike Daum struggling and fouling out, Tevin King being dogged by foul trouble and David Jenkins Jr. struggling for stretches.
Virginia Tech 73, Washington 61: The Hokies continue their great start as they’re now 9-1 after this win in Atlantic City over a quality opponent. Duke, North Carolina and Virginia will get all the attention, but don’t sleep on the Hokies as well as Florida State.
Old Dominion 68, Syracuse 62: A big second half gave the Monarchs this solid road win. This is a team that’s had to overcome adversity to get to 8-3.
Kansas State 71, Georgia State 59: The Wildcats pull away to beat a good Georgia State team at home, putting the Panthers away after Dean Wade went down. They have won without Wade before, but they would rather have him than not have him, and they did so with Barry Brown hitting big shots and a balanced effort in terms of who made timely plays.
Mississippi State 70, Cincinnati 59: The Bulldogs continue their great start and stop the Bearcats’ winning streak. Right now, you have to look at Mississippi State as the third-best SEC team behind Tennessee and Auburn.
Kentucky 88, Utah 61: This was probably the Wildcats’ best win of the season, but this is only the beginning of finding out how good this team is since the Utes are the worst of the three teams they have on the slate before SEC play begins.
LSU 78, Saint Mary’s 74: A solid win for the Tigers in the nightcap of the Neon Hoops Classic against an improving Saint Mary’s team, especially since the Gaels rallied after LSU broke the game open after halftime.
Baylor 58, Arizona 49: Not a work of art, but a good road win and another missed opportunity as part of a bad day for the Pac-12.
Texas A&M 67, Oregon State 64: Speaking of that bad day for the Pac-12, Texas A&M came into this game, which was played in Portland, at 3-4, with their best win coming against South Alabama.
Notre Dame 88, Purdue 80: A solid win for the Fighting Irish in the first game of the Crossroads Classic, but did they also suffer a big loss? Rex Pflueger went down with a knee injury and it may be a bad one.
Indiana 71, Butler 68: A big win for the Hoosiers, coming from behind and then winning at the buzzer over a good Butler team.
Belmont 74, UCLA 72: A big win for Belmont, a very capable team, and not a bad loss for UCLA save for the fact that (a) the Pac-12 needs wins, and (b) if you’re a contender in a good conference, like UCLA should be, you generally win these games even over good opponents like Belmont.
Arizona State 76, Georgia 74: Well, the Pac-12 needed a win of some sort, and this was certainly one although it wasn’t a work of art. Perhaps most important is that the Sun Devils got Remy Martin going a bit with a season-high 21 points.
Buffalo 74, Southern Illinois 65: The Bulls will now head to Syracuse in a couple of days without a blemish on their record as they win another one over a good Saluki team.
Ohio State 73, Bucknell 71: Ohio State pulls one out, but give Bucknell credit. This team looks different with a lot of experience and production gone from last season, but the Bison are well-tested and thus should be right there in the Patriot League as usual.
Oklahoma 81, USC 70: Christian James continues his great play with 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Sooners, while USC is now 5-5.
Seton Hall 72, Rutgers 66: A great rivalry that thankfully lives on, with the Pirates winning as Myles Powell looked like, well, Myles Powell with 28 points that included six three-pointers.
Temple 77, Davidson 75 (OT): A heart-breaking loss for Davidson in Atlantic City as Temple got a steam and dunk at the buzzer to cap a game-ending 8-0 run to win it.
College of Charleston 83, VCU 79: As the Cougars continue a fine start with a solid road win, Jarrell Brantley put up a great game with 26 points and 17 rebounds to lead the way.
UNLV 92, BYU 90 (OT): The Cougars stormed back from being down by 17 at halftime to force overtime, but didn’t quite have enough left to win this one.
Louisiana Tech 83, Louisiana 62: This was a bit of a surprise in the margin of victory given that the Bulldogs were on the road. Eric Konkol’s team is now 9-3.
California 67, Cal Poly 66: Well, it is another win for the Pac-12, though not a quality win. Instead, it’s more like avoiding another damaging loss.
I personally don’t care, but some may be offended that you referred to the MSU Bulldogs as the Rebels