Saturday was one of the busiest days of the season, and that was the case despite a game being postponed until Sunday. While not full of matchups that initially caught one’s eye, there were a few that we expected to be great games, and most didn’t disappoint, including one of the last ones of the day out west.
Without further adieu, here are notes from a number of the day’s games.
Virginia 63, Clemson 43: It was going to be tough to do it in this one, even with the game being at home, but Clemson is still seeking a signature win as far as their NCAA Tournament profile goes.
Duke 80, Florida State 78: This win is all about Duke responding to adversity, from R.J. Barrett taking over with Zion Williamson out for the second half (32 points for the game) to struggling Cam Reddish hitting the game-winner with less than a second to go to cap off a 23-point outing.
Louisville 83, North Carolina 62: It would be one thing if the Cardinals had done this in Louisville, but doing it in Chapel Hill is all the more impressive. This is the Tar Heels’ largest margin of defeat at home since 2002
Gonzaga 96, San Francisco 83: This game was much closer than the final score indicates, as it was all Gonzaga after the final media timeout (they finished on a 17-2 run) after it was neck-and-neck the rest of the way.
Kansas 73, Baylor 68: After a fast start by the Jayhawks, they had to hold off the Bears in what amounts to a missed opportunity for Baylor, who needs to get more quality wins given a couple of their losses in non-conference play.
Kansas State 58, Iowa State 57: In the Big 12, it looks like fortunes will appear to change in the blink of an eye. A week ago, Iowa State had a big win over Kansas while Kansas State was in a concerning place. Now the Wildcats have won two in a row, including this one on the road, and got Dean Wade back in this one, while the Cyclones lost both games this week.
Texas Tech 68, Texas 62: The Red Raiders remain the only team undefeated in Big 12 play, and they do so by winning in Austin for the first time since the final season of the Southwest Conference in 1996.
Oklahoma 76, TCU 74: A big second half rally got the Sooners past the Horned Frogs in a matchup of teams trying to bounce back from tough losses earlier in the week. And speaking of quickly changing fortunes, TCU is all of a sudden 1-2 after looking like as good a contender to knock off Kansas as anyone.
Oklahoma State 85, West Virginia 77: Is it time to sound an alarm about West Virginia? Losing to the likes of Texas Tech, Texas and Kansas State was one thing, especially with the latter two coming on the road, but losing at home to rebuilding Oklahoma State to fall to 0-4 in Big 12 play is another.
Iowa 72, Ohio State 62: The Hawkeyes had a slow start to Big Ten play with three straight losses, but they’ve now battled back to 3-3 with a chance to get above .500 soon as Penn State (road) and Illinois (home) are their next two.
NC State 86, Pittsburgh 80: The Wolfpack had to rally to pull this one out over a pesky Panther team, and they did just that despite Wyatt Walker getting ejected early and Markell Johnson getting hurt later on.
Georgia Tech 73, Syracuse 59: The Yellow Jackets found a way to solve the 2-3 zone in this one, shooting 59.5 percent from the field including 6-12 from long range to win comfortably despite 22 turnovers. The fact that they took just 12 three-pointers is probably the biggest reason, as they had a 36-16 edge in points in the paint. It also helped that they forced 19 Syracuse turnovers and held the Orange below 32 percent from the field.
Miami 76, Wake Forest 65: The host Hurricanes get a badly-needed win over another team that had been seeking their first ACC win.
Notre Dame 69, Boston College 66: This is one the Eagles would love to have back. A couple of bad calls late hurt them, and this could have been a road win that would get them going instead of walking out of there with an 0-3 ACC mark as they have now.
Tennessee 78, Florida 67: The Volunteers’ quiet winning has been a bit like Virginia’s – not much talked about, but very solid and at times dominating, this time in Gainesville over a Florida team that has been tough to figure out.
Ole Miss 81, Mississippi State 77: Kermit Davis has the Rebels playing great basketball with ten straight wins, and beating an arch-rival in their building is all the better.
Kentucky 56, Vanderbilt 47: The Wildcats shut down the Commodores in the second half in Lexington to rally and send them to 0-3 in SEC play, while pushing their own mark to 2-1.
LSU 94, Arkansas 88 (OT): The Razorbacks lose a second straight home game, this time to an LSU team that is playing very well right now.
Texas A&M 81, Alabama 80: While Texas A&M is clearly in rebuilding mode, they have certainly looked good enough to be a team that could nip one of the top teams as the season goes on. They did that on Saturday with a buzzer-beater and drop Alabama to 1-2 in SEC play.
Nevada 74, Fresno State 64: Fresno State had their chances for a big win and to remain undefeated in Mountain West play, but Nevada was more poised. Jordan Caroline also made several big plays to keep the Bulldogs at bay.
Colorado State 91, New Mexico 76: Since beating Nevada a week ago, it’s been downhill for New Mexico with two straight double-digit losses.
DePaul 79, St. John’s 71: How reliant is St. John’s on Shamorie Ponds? He missed this game and they lost to a team that is improved, but not one a Big East contender should lose to at home. They are now 2-3 in conference play.
Marquette 70, Seton Hall 66: Since getting handled in their Big East opener, the Golden Eagles have won three straight and are quietly 3-1 in Big East play as they hold off the Pirates.
Georgetown 96, Providence 90 (2 OT): Georgetown is getting used to playing some extra basketball, as this is their fourth overtime game of the season and they’re now 3-1 in such games. Providence, meanwhile, is not in a good place as they are 0-3 in Big East play as they start a stretch with five of seven on the road.
Cincinnati 74, UConn 72 (OT): Two straight overtime wins for Cincinnati after a loss at East Carolina tells you they’re finding a way to win, but could also ill-afford to drop this one at home. UConn had their chances, with several shots rimming out during overtime, and an offensive foul sealed it after they didn’t need a three-pointer to tie it.
Washington 77, Colorado 70: Give the Buffs credit for making this a ballgame without McKinley Wright, but the Huskies start Pac-12 play with a road sweep.
Stanford 85, Arizona State 71: The Sun Devils fall to 2-2 in Pac-12 play as the host Cardinal pull away in the second half. Remember, the Sun Devils have the best non-conference resume among Pac-12 teams.
Davidson 64, VCU 57: If you’re a firm believer that basketball is a game of runs, then this was your game. VCU started the second half on a 24-7 run, then the Wildcats closed the game on a 16-2 run to start Atlantic 10 play at 3-0 for the first time since joining the conference.
Saint Louis 71, La Salle 64: The Billikens join the Wildcats as 3-0 teams in the Atlantic 10 after this road win.
Duquesne 85, Saint Joseph’s 84: The Hawks are shaping up as one of the biggest disappointments, as they fall to 0-4 in Atlantic 10 play after blowing a 15-point lead.
Northeastern 90, William & Mary 70: The CAA preseason favorites wrap up a three-game road trip by winning the final two games to get above .500 in conference play ahead of an important meeting with College of Charleston in Boston on Thursday.
Hofstra 74, Elon 71: The Pride remain hot as their win streak reaches 12 in a row and they go to 5-0 in CAA play.
Loyola-Chicago 67, Illinois State 64: Too much was expected of the Ramblers before the season based off their magical run of a year ago. After a tough time for some of non-conference play, however, they’re 3-1 in Missouri Valley play and look more like a team favored to win their conference.
Valparaiso 65, Southern Illinois 61: The team Loyola is chasing is Valparaiso, for now at least, as the Crusaders are now 4-0 after this nice road win.
Pepperdine 76, San Diego 71: The Toreros have come back to earth a bit early in West Coast Conference play, as they had a nice non-conference run but are 1-2, with this loss coming at home.
UNC Greensboro 89, Furman 79: This is a great bounce-back win by the Spartans after they were pasted at home by conference leader Wofford just two nights earlier.
Princeton 62, Penn 53: Princeton sweeps the season series against one of the favorites and their arch-rival, and now you have to start talking about the Tigers as a serious contender in the Ivy League.
Dartmouth 81, Harvard 63: Dartmouth is always a tough place to play, and Harvard has had some challenges over the years, but this was a surprise as Dartmouth shot 68 percent from the field. Penn and Harvard, who looked like the two Ivy favorites (with Yale projected to be right there as well), are a combined 0-3.
South Dakota State 84, Oral Roberts 65: Mike Daum had 37 points and eight rebounds as the Jackrabbits win the battle of teams who entered the night 3-1 in Summit League play, but he had a counterpart who had a big stat line as Emmanuel Nzekwesi had 14 points and 18 rebounds in the losing effort.
Murray State 85, Southeast Missouri State 67: The Racers keep rolling at 4-0 in OVC play as Ja Morant puts up 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Montana 88, Northern Colorado 64: This looked like an early Big Sky showdown, but instead the Grizzlies reminded everyone that they were picked as favorites for a reason. Sayeed Pridgett had a monster game with 29 points on 11-13 shooting, including a perfect 4-4 from long range.
South Carolina State 72, Morgan State 68: This one is mainly noteworthy for one of the best stat lines of the day, as Morgan State guard Stanley Davis had 28 points and 19 rebounds in the losing effort.
