As conference play gets underway, the Big 12 stood out on Wednesday night. The slate was nearly full, with only Baylor and TCU off, but three of the four games were won by the road team. The lone home team to win wasn’t a surprise, but all four games help form an impression of some sort.
The first one was West Virginia hosting Texas Tech. The Mountaineers appear to have gotten better in the latter part of non-conference play, but they didn’t get a win over a team that is a lock for the NCAA Tournament. They will need to get those quality wins in Big 12 play, and this was their first such opportunity. Texas Tech held won in Morgantown for the first time ever, holding on for a 62-59 win as they pull out the first game all season decided by single digits. That’s right – all of their games, including their loss to Duke, were double-digit games before Wednesday night. Now we know they can pull out a close one, too.
Next, we go to the one home team to win on the night – the 14-time defending champions. Oklahoma traveled to Kansas and gamely battled in the second half, but a 15-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome at Allen Fieldhouse, where road teams rarely win. Dedric Lawson remains Mr. Reliable for Kansas, scoring 13 points and hauling down 15 rebounds as they handed Oklahoma just their second loss of the season. The Sooners came down to earth in their first conference game against the team to beat.
The next game of note was a short-handed Kansas State team hosting Texas. The lack of numbers hurt the Wildcats, as Texas pulled away in the second half for a 67-47 win. The depleted Wildcats, already without Dean Wade and for this game without Kamau Stokes as well, shot less than 33 percent from the field, while Texas was 14-27 from long range, led by a stellar 7-9 showing there by Jase Febres, who scored 23 points to lead the Longhorns. Kansas State might have been short-handed, but the Longhorns will take a road win like this as it can only help their confidence.
Finally, we come to Iowa State’s visit to Oklahoma State. Iowa State carried the play for most of the first half, but Oklahoma State hit three straight three-pointers to close the half and snag a one-point lead. The Cyclones then took control in the second half behind a balanced attack in a 69-63 win, getting between 12 and 17 points from four different players. Iowa State is now 11-2 on the season, and while the Cyclones have not beat a team that’s a lock for the NCAA Tournament, they have knocked off a couple of teams in Missouri and Drake that aren’t far off. Starting Big 12 play with a road win can’t hurt, either.
The Big 12 hasn’t been what it has in past years thus far, which is more a statement of how strong it has been of late than anything else. If the first full night of action is any indication, it may shape up stronger than we think behind the usual team to beat that resides in Lawrence.
Side Dishes
The Big East had a busy night as well, and two games highlighted the slate. The first was Georgetown dealing Butler a second straight loss, this one an 84-76 decision in Indianapolis and a real sign that Patrick Ewing has them going very much in the right direction. Later, Villanova had to rally to knock off DePaul 73-68, something previously unthinkable, except Villanova looks mortal and DePaul is improved. It’s one more sign that no one appears primed to run away with the conference. In the one other game on the night, Seton Hall moved to 2-0 with an 80-70 win at Xavier
Nevada and Houston remained undefeated with home wins, as the Wolfpack pulled away from Utah State 72-49 in the last game of the night and Houston rode a nice first half to a 74-56 win over Tulsa.
The Big Ten had just two games on tap, but both of them noteworthy. Michigan State rolled over Northwestern 81-55 to drop the Wildcats to 0-3 behind a double-double (13 points, 12 assists) from Cassius Winston, while Maryland pulled out a 74-72 win over Nebraska to move to 2-1 and drop the Cornhuskers to 1-2 in Big Ten play. The stars had big nights in this one as James Palmer had 26 points for Nebraska and Bruno Fernando had 18 points and 17 rebounds for Maryland.
The Missouri Valley Conference had its opening night with a full slate. Drake and Evansville battled in the game of the night, going two overtimes before the Aces outlasted the Bulldogs 82-77 for just Drake’s third loss of the season. And don’t look now, but after a slow start, Loyola-Chicago is turning a corner, as they outscored Indiana State for the game in the first half in a 79-44 romp. The Ramblers led 44-12 at intermission and have now held four straight opponents below 50 points.
North Carolina took care of Harvard 77-57, and while Harvard has been hit by the injury bug this season, the Tar Heels had to go without Sterling Manley in this one due to left knee soreness. It isn’t known how long he will be out, and he will be evaluated further. The sophomore is a key role player up front.
The FBI investigation into corruption has now yielded one result from the coaching ranks, as former USC assistant Tony Bland pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to commit bribery. Bland was a fast-rising assistant coach at the time of his arrest, and his plea will likely limit any jail time he gets. There is much more still to come in this larger story, with one trial set for February and one more involving two other former assistant coaches set for April. Ted Sarandis and I briefly touch on this in our latest podcast, which focuses largely on Steve Alford’s firing and the aftermath that includes the likes of former UCLA guard Lonzo Ball and Dick Vitale advocating for possible successors.
Tonight’s Menu
Conference play is now in full swing, as tonight’s games are almost entirely of that nature.
- In the ACC, Miami opens up by hosting NC State (7 p.m.)
- Atlantic 10 play gets underway, and among the matchups is one with two of the preseason favorites as Saint Joseph’s hosts George Mason (7:30 p.m.)
- In the Big Ten, Iowa tries to get going after a surprising 0-2 start last month as they travel to Purdue (7 p.m.), while Wisconsin hosts Minnesota (9 p.m.)
- Conference USA has a busy slate, with the highlights being Old Dominion hosting Marshall (7 p.m.) and Louisiana Tech visiting North Texas (8 p.m.)
- The Horizon League has a matchup of teams with 2-0 starts that should be in contention later as well, as Northern Kentucky travels to Oakland (7 p.m.)
- In opening action in the Ohio Valley Conference, the best matchup might be Belmont hosting Jacksonville State (9 p.m.)
- The Pac-12 also gets going, and early on Utah travels to Arizona State (8 p.m.), then Arizona hosts Colorado (9 p.m.) and UCLA hosts Stanford (11 p.m.)
- A couple of good early matchups in the Southern Conference are on tap as Samford visits East Tennessee State and The Citadel goes to Wofford, both with a 7 p.m. tip.
- A full slate of Sun Belt openers includes contenders meeting as Texas State welcomes Georgia Southern (8 p.m.)
- In West Coast Conference openers, San Francisco hosts Saint Mary’s (9 p.m.), improving Santa Clara hosts San Diego (10 p.m.) and BYU travels to Pacific (11 p.m.)
